Second Chances
by RMoriluvr
Summary: AU It's been 6 years since Soul Society has fallen to the Quincy. Now, on the brink of a Civil War between the residents of the Rukongai, several high ranking shinigami POWs have been busted out of prison by a mysterious young woman. With a bounty on her head, she releases one last prisoner that was thought to be long dead.
1. Chapter 1

**My take on a pretty crack pairing. I don't own Bleach or any of the characters.**

**It's been 6 years since Soul Society has fallen to the Quincy. Now, on the brink of a Civil War between the residents of the Rukongai, several high ranking shinigami POWs have been busted out of prison by a mysterious young woman. With a bounty on her head, she releases one last prisoner that was thought to be long dead. With his release, the tides of the impending Civil War may actually shift in favor of the remaining Shinigami. '**

**Chapter 1: Prison Break or How one chick saves a dude from captivity**

She let out the breath that she was holding in relief. Once again, she had managed to sneak through the barriers of the prison. A once beautiful estate owned by the Shihoin clan, it had become a horrible jail to all those that were imprisoned in there. She was pushing her luck, she knew, coming here once again. According to the former prisoners that had already escaped with her help, there were no more soul reapers left except for those in Squad 4. Squad 4 was kept alive, considered valuable by the Quincy due to their healing skills and knowledge of underground Seireitei. The remaining Soul Reapers had either been killed, in the war, been publicly executed or were freed by the woman herself. And she could count on one hand, how many there were that she was able to help. The shinigami were more or less destroyed. All that remained was a rag-tag crew that was forced into exile, fleeing so they could live to fight another day.

And even though she would be called foolish by her comrades for coming back one last time, she had to make sure that there were no more soul reapers left. The prison held all sorts of criminals, but below the mansion, in the former basement, the POWs were kept there out of the sunlight and without much food or water, so their spiritual pressure waned. Murderers, rapists and all other nasty criminals were kept in the area as well, so she had to be smart about the cells that she broke into.

She traveled quietly through the halls, light on her feet. It was a labyrinth of hallways down below the mansion. She had to be careful. There was a bounty on her head now, and she couldn't risk getting caught if the remaining Shinigami had any chance of finding more survivors and reclaiming Soul Society.

She turned down a hall and immediately blended into the shadows. There were more guards down this hall. A large door was blocked by four guards, all armed with swords and bows. She carefully listened to the guard's raucous laughter and foul speech.

"Can you believe this bastard is still alive? When will he just give in and die?" One guard asked. They were sitting at a table, drinking sake together and playing what looked like poker. The young lady rolled her eyes in disdain at the display of male arrogance and stupidity.

"He has got to realize that there are no more shinigami left besides his poor soul. He's either stubborn or just dumb." His neighbor replied laughing.

One of the guards looked sharply at his comrades and scoffed. "You're both idiots if you think we've exterminated all the shinigami except the damned healers. And you have you forgotten the Masked Lily? She managed to sneak in this supposed high-security prison, and get out all those remaining captains and lieutenants without much notice at all-on three separate occasions! There's no way they'll be catching her soon."

The young woman smirked at the comment. "The Masked Lily? You have got to be kidding!" What a horrible nickname. First, she didn't even wear a mask over her eyes, but a black cloth over the bottom part of her face, covering her mouth and nose. Second, why a lily? She had been hoping for something along the lines of "Batman", at the very least.

"Enough of this crap," she thought to herself. She stepped quickly out of the shadows using shunpo and incapacitated all the guards before they even noticed her. She was a prodigy in Hakuda and Hoho; Yoruichi herself had trained the woman. She picked up the keys from the unconscious guard and unlocked the door. It really was pathetic how easy it was to enter the prison, she mused to herself. Considering that she had broken in four times now, she figured they would have actually tried to reinforce their barriers. But no, the Quincy were extremely arrogant, and although they increased the number of guards in the prison, their skill was still subpar. She could easily take out the majority of the guards if she wanted.

Inside the door was a dirty room that resembled a dungeon. All sorts of knives, whips, pokers and other tools of torture adorned the walls. She looked quickly around the room as she stepped in and immediately noticed the prisoner, a man that looked to be in his mid-20s, chained to the wall. Scars adorned his back, chest, and stomach. The hair on his head was black and cut short, looking like it was shaved a few weeks earlier. He looked up warily at her as she walked toward him. There was a sharp, clever look in his eyes. She noticed that the bracers around his wrist glowed with energy. They were subduing his reiatsu. She made the quick connection: They did that to all their soul reaper prisoners, especially the captains and lieutenants. This man was powerful.

She was confused though, nobody had told her about this one. She cautiously walked forward. He was in a terrible condition. His stomach showed ribs poking through his skin. His face was sunken in as well around the cheek bones and there were dark circles underneath his eyes. And yet, there was an air of defiance to the man. He glared at her, and she was almost intimidated enough to step back. It took all her resolve to keep moving forward. She slowly stepped in front of him and put her arms up in surrender.

"I'm a friend. There are a few of you still alive. I am going to get you out of here, but I need you to follow my directions. I can't heal you in here, but I will as soon as I can."

His eyes narrowed even more at her words. "Who are you?" He spoke in a raspy voice, sounding as though he hadn't spoken for a very long time.

He was looking shrewdly at the woman. He was usually a good judge of character (or he had once been, earlier on in his life). He was tired, always so tired, was this a dream? No, he was cold, and in pain. Usually when he dreamt he wouldn't feel the pain as sharply as he did at the moment. Should he trust her? She looked trustworthy… a young woman, probably no more than 20 years old in appearance. She was clothed in all black, wearing a hood over her hair and a cloth over her nose and mouth. Her appearance almost reminded him of Yoruichi or Soi-fon. And then he saw her gray eyes. They were framed with impossibly long eye lashes, and there was a kindness and warmth within them that he doubted a Quincy interrogator could fake.

Maybe it was her eyes or maybe it was her likeness to the former Soul Reaper captains that he once knew, but he decided to trust her. He looked up at her and nodded his head, telling her non-verbally that he wouldn't put up a fuss and would allow her help.

How far he had fallen? Now he needed help from a young woman that he had never before seen before. He was not aware of any potent spiritual power that she had, so she could be as weak as a recent unseated graduate from the former Shino Academy. But, he rationalized, if she was so weak, how was she able to get through the barriers and even find him in the first place. The guards at his door were definitely idiots, but they didn't lack in brute strength. And she seemed to be quite petite, so in order to have gotten in the room, she would have needed some obvious spiritual and physical strength and intelligence.

As he was taking in as much as he could about the young woman, the first non-Quincy that he had the pleasure to see since his captivity began, she flashed him a quick smile (forgetting that the bottom half of her face was covered with a cloth to mask her identity), broke the chains holding his arms to the wall with her own reiatsu, and lifted him onto her back. They were aware of her now, since she flared her spiritual pressure to break him away from the wall. She shifted him to be more comfortable on her back and told him, "Don't worry about who I am." He scoffed in return at her answer.

"Oh, please don't thank me until we're out of here," she said sarcastically. She then flash stepped as quickly as she could out of the room and through the halls.

The former prisoner was vaguely aware that the woman had good strength to be holding him up, and she was more than proficient in the art of Shunpo. The alarms were sounding, but she paid them no mind as she kept stepping. Only a few quincy guards noticed her as she took off, but thankfully they were dealt with easily. He tried to stay awake (he was so tired, and in so much pain. She wasn't being gentle), so he could learn more about this girl to see whether she was an ally, a citizen of Rukongai, a long lost relative, or a rogue Quincy. He was impressed with her skill in Hakuda. She easily knocked out the men twice her size by finding pressure points, exposing the fact that they were men, elbowing them in the throats and swift kicks to the head. He was almost positive that Yoruichi had trained the young woman. She obviously had some growing to do, but she definitely could handle herself, it seemed.

She still couldn't believe how weak the guards were. She blazed speedily through the prison and out of the gates. Racing through the forest surrounding several of the Rukongai districts, she didn't stop until she was miles away. They were in the 6th Rukongai district. She stopped to catch her breath and put the man gently on the ground. She looked his injuries over. It was cold though, and she noticed that he was still shirtless. She looked around carefully then pulled off her coat and put it on him.

"Here," she said, "You need this more than I do. We can't have you getting sick before someone can tend to your injuries."

"Who are you?" He asked once again, curious after seeing her display of strength and the single-handed advantage that she held over the Quincy.

"Karin," she said quietly. "I told you, I am a friend." She looked around once more and extending as little reiatsu as possible, put up an impressive kido barrier. She could hardly breathe after, exerting all the strength that she had for the night, but she was able to grab hold of her passenger and use the spell that Urahara-san had taught her in summoning the gate that let her travel into the living world.

Back at the prison, guards just stared at the empty dungeon where their most famous prisoner, noble Byakuya Kuchiki, the last of the great Kuchiki clan had once been. It was now empty. The Masked Lily had struck again, and there would be hell to pay.

She landed softly in the basement underneath the Uruhara shop. She breathed heavily, and noticed her passenger was doing the same thing. She tried to get him off as gently as possible, trying to mind his injuries, but her own exhaustion caused her to be more clumsy than usual, and she failed miserably. He grunted in pain as he landed on the ground, weak from his injuries, some of them opening up as he landed in the dirt. He looked up at her with a slight glare.

"Sorry," she said unapologetically, "and you're welcome." She knew that the guy had been held prisoner and obviously been put through a lot, but he hadn't even looked thankful to her for her mission.

His gaze softened slightly at the rough tone of her voice. He almost felt shamed and humbled, since the young woman in front of him had led his prison break. She didn't have to risk her own life and safety to rescue him… and then he asked himself, "How did she know I was even there?"

He opened his mouth to speak when he heard a familiar voice yell out, "Karin-chan! You escaped again. I should have never let Kisuke teach you that spell. Your father and brother are going to keep you locked up if you keep this up! What am I going to-oh my." For once in her life, Yoruichi Shihoin was rather speechless. Standing in front of her was a ghost. He was a shadow of his former self, but the sharp eyes and haughty look still remained. His hair was much shorter than before, practically shaved to his head, but still black. And the handsome features were overshadowed by his hollow cheeks and the dark rings under his eyes. But the once handsome captain was, in front of her, alive, injured terribly from what she could see of his scars underneath the too small jacket of Karin's, but alive still.

"Byakuya?" She asked hesitantly, even though she knew it was him. He stared at the dark skinned woman that had once been an ally to his family. He nodded slightly, at a loss for words. What do you say to someone that you haven't seen in years? He opened his mouth to respond, even though he didn't know exactly what to say, but suddenly lost his so-called strength and reluctantly leaned on this Karin-chan that Yoruichi had mentioned.

"Umm… Yoruichi-san, I think we need to get him some help. You can scold me later." Karin said, looking at Byakuya wearily, worried that he would just fall and die. He already looked like death warmed over anyway. And now that she had figured out that this figure was named "Byakuya" and that this was Rukia's long believed dead older brother, she didn't want him to die on her right after she freed him from the prison camp. Rukia and Renji spoke of Byakuya with the highest respect, and if half of what they said was true, this man, with healing and time, could probably return to his former strength, and possibly turn the tides of the war.

Yoruichi responded. "Of course. Here Byakuya, you can let go of Karin. I'll take care of you. Karin, your body is upstairs in the living area. Get cleaned up and go home. You have some explaining to do to your father. He'll be more understanding than your brother."

Yoruichi turned to move with Byakuya on her back, then stopped turned back around and looked Karin in the eye. "And Karin, thank you." As Yoruichi said this, what Byakuya was trying to vocalize so he didn't seem like a complete idiot for not being gracious to this young woman who risked her own life to free him from prison, he looked her in the eye. She caught his eye and he nodded once, hoping that she realized that he was grateful for what she had done, getting him out of that hellhole.

She looked at Byakuya and said, "No problem. I'll see you later." Karin led the way upstairs. She moved into the living room where she saw her body. She entered back into her physical body, and wearily left, hoping to avoid her father and brother as she tried to sneak back into her house.

Yoruichi jumped up after Karin had left and landed in the shop. She closed the trap door. It was still dark out, but there were a few movements heard in the shop. Out of a room stepped Urahara and Tessai, who had been up, speaking about the upcoming actions they were planning on taking when they had felt a fluctuation in Yoruichi's reaitsu.

"Did Karin just leave? Where was she?" Urahara asked curiously. He then looked at Yoruichi, and said, "Oh. I see. She went back to your family's manor and rescued another one. Captain Kuchiki this time, huh?"

"Yes," Yoruichi responded, "Now shut up and get Rukia and Renji. They will want to see him more than anyone"

"No," Byakuya said, "Please don't let them see me until I've been healed a bit. I don't want to…" He trailed off into silence, but the three others knew what he was talking about. He didn't want to have to explain his injuries to them or to see their horrified faces when they saw all the scars, bruises and cuts that adorned his body.

Yoruichi, Tessai and Urahara looked at him in surprise at the pleading tone of his voice. They nodded respectfully, at his request. They knew that the man in front of them would have had it worse than most prisoners considering his noble lineage. They could already tell by the fact that his hair was so short. The majority of normal nobles kept their hair longer as a sign of their ranking in Soul Society. He was missing his hair piece and his hair had been shaved.

"Put him in this room Yoruichi. Did Karin-chan already leave?" Tessai asked as Yoruichi put Byakuya down on the futon. Karin was excellent at kido and a fledgling healer.

"Yes. I sent her home. She's exhausted; she wouldn't have been much help with healing anyway. She's probably speaking to her father right now."

"Call for Isshin then. I will need his help if I am to make Captain Kuchiki look presentable so he doesn't scare anyone else." Tessai said, giving a slight smile to the former noble.

Yoruichi said with a smirk. "Don't worry, Byakuya-bo, they'll make you pretty in no time."

Byakuya managed to glare at her but then leaned back in weakness as his body began to give out. He had exerted his body more in the last few hours than in the last six years. His eyes reluctantly began to flutter shut, and he was finally at enough peace to fall asleep.

* * *

"Please let me see him!" A feminine voice cried out. Byakuya's eyes began to flutter open slightly. That voice, he had heard it before. But, this, like all the other times, was probably a dream.

"They are healing him of his injuries," Urahara's voice told her, "you'll be able to see him as soon as Tessai and Isshin say it is okay."

Byakuya slowly opened his eyes to blinding light. He noticed two men working on healing his body with Kido. One was Tessai, the former captain of the Kido corps that he recognized. The second man looked vaguely familiar, but he had no idea where he could have seen him before. The second man also wore a former captain haori over his shoulder. He was staring at said man, when the man noticed suddenly, and said, "Ah, you're awake. Good morning, Kuchiki-dono. It is good to see you alive."

Byakuya was taken aback from the use of the title. It had been years since anyone had referred to him as 'dono'.

He nodded at the greeting to show that he had heard the man. "Who are you?" he asked.

"My name now is Isshin Kurosaki." Byakuya's face frowned a little at the sound of the last name. Kurosaki? This had to be Ichigo's father. Though he wasn't the biggest fan of Ichigo, he still respected the boy's strength. He helped saved Soul Society enough times to prove that he was a valuable ally. Byakuya, swallowed a little bit, and began to ask about Ichigo when Isshin interrupted him.

"Yep, you've met my son before. I've seen that look before on many faces. Sorry that he's such a punk. But, it makes me feel better to know that you've met one of my daughters as well. She makes up for Ichigo's rudeness a lot of the time, just don't get on her bad side though."

Byakuya looked at him questioningly. "I've never even knew that Ichigo had any siblings?"

"Oh he has two younger sisters, twins. My daughter's names are Yuzu and Karin," Isshin explained, "Your rescuer. She didn't want to mention her last name in case you had heard of Ichigo before. When she found out who you were, she thought she made the right decision. Yeah, I'm pretty upset with her. Ever since she was able to manifest in her soul reaper form, she's been quite a little firecracker, more than usual, anyway. Keeps sneaking out of the house with that damned good spiritual control that she has and leaving. We usually don't discover she's missing for at least 4 hours or so later."

Byakuya just continued to receive their healing ministrations, pondering over several things. First, why in the world did Ichigo's father tell him about his poor parenting skills? Obviously the man was a Soul Reaper himself, shouldn't he be able to sense his daughter and know where she's at? Second, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that this 'Karin' was quite intelligent and cunning. She managed to get him to trust her within only a few minutes of meeting, and was shrewd enough to not give her last name in case she met an enemy of her brother. Although he had just met the father, it was obvious she must have received some of her personality traits from her mother.

Tessai and Isshin stopped with the healing a few minutes later.

"I think that's all we can do, Captain Kuchiki." Tessai said. "The rest of your healing will need to be rest and plenty of food. The scars will lighten more and more over time, but if you don't want to frighten your sister or answer questions, I suggest you wear a shirt. You'll be ready to start training again in a few months."

"Why would I train? I have no bankai. Sebonzakura was stolen from me." Byakuya was startled to hear how bratty he sounded. He would have to learn better control of his emotions, once again. He did his best to maintain his emotionless façade in prison but there were definitely times that he failed. He moved to sit up and put his shirt on.

"Because, I've recovered Hyourinmaru. It will take some time but you'll be able to figure it out." Toshiro Hitsugaya stood to the side of the room, unnoticed by Byakuya until that moment. He had grown tall and more muscled. He was no longer a small boy, but a teenager. Toshiro looked over Byakuya and nodded.

"It's good to have you back, Captain Kuchiki. There are a few people who would like to see you. Is he ready to receive visitors?" Toshiro asked the two healers.

"Yes. Just tell Rukia not to go too crazy."

"Rukia's alive? I thought she had been killed," Byakuya thought to himself, puzzled.

"Brother?" Rukia stood in the doorway, and ran forward to give him a huge hug. He winced as she made contact.

"Rukia!"

"Rukia-san!"

"He just finished healing. Please be gentle"

"I am so happy to see you alive Brother!" Rukia told him, tears in her eyes as she gave him a hug.

"Rukia, I am fine. Please let go."

"Sorry, it's just, I thought you were dead." She had felt his reaitsu disappear herself. How had he survived that terrible attack when his Bankai had been stolen? And he had been alive, a prisoner of the Quincy the entire time. Nobody knew, they must have kept his imprisonment secret for a reason.

"I understand. I… thought that something had happened to you as well." The past six years he had been reliving the nightmare vision that As Nodt had given him of Rukia dead. Added to it were haunting visions and dreams of Renji, Hisana, his parents, grandfather and everyone that had at one time been close to him.

"Brother, I…" She began sobbing uncontrollably, so excited and relieved to see her brother alive.

"Rukia, I understand your shock. But it is not appropriate for a Kuchiki to be so hysterical." He said, trying to pry her crying body off of him. Damn he was still too weak to even lift a lightweight like Rukia.

"Rukia, you should go get cleaned up and calm down." A man said as he approached the futon. His long crimson hair was worn in a ponytail, as usual. He helped Rukia up with a gentle hand, and she leaned into him, crying as she led her back out the room.

He returned only a few seconds later and sat next to his former captain. While there was emotion and admiration in his eyes, he didn't look as hysterically happy as Rukia was.

"I'm glad to see you again Captain. Don't worry, I won't start crying."

"I'd have to demote you if you started crying in front of me." He retorted back. It was almost the same as it had been before… their loss. Had could the Soul Reapers lose so badly?

Renji cracked a small smile as he began speaking. "We owe Karin a lot for getting you out of that place. She didn't even know if anybody was left, but she wanted to make sure so that she would feel better about it."

Byakuya started to formulate a reply, but then stopped and said, "You make it sound like she had been there before." He realized now what her father had been speaking of. He was not the first captive to be rescued, but the last one.

"She had. She broke out Captain Kyoraku, Captain Ukitake, Captain Soi-fon, Lieutenant Ise and Lietenant Hisagi. They're hiding out in a few different places until we launch our offensive. We're trying not to all be in the same location, since we don't want to draw too much attention to ourselves."

"Was Rukia captured at all?" Byakuya looked at Renji pleadingly, hoping that she had not been one of those that were imprisoned.

"No, I had to drag her away, because she was looking for you everywhere. Captain Hitsugaya, Lieutenant Matsumoto, Ichigo and the two of us were the only ones that were left. Captain-commander Yamamoto was publicly executed after he was captured. Captain Komamura and Captain Kurotschi were both killed in the war. We have no idea where Captains Zaraki, Otoribashi, Hirako, and Muguruma are. Captain Unohana, according to the former prisoners, is still alive and well. They haven't harmed her since she has so much healing experience. She and the rest of squad 4 are considered safe from harm. They're too valuable for the Quincy."

"Do we have a plan at all?" Byakuya asked. He was curious if there was an attack or infiltration planned. They couldn't leave Soul Society the way it was. The balance would be thrown off if Quincy kept on outright killing the Hollows, not just cleansing them.

"Sort of. Right now, we're all just training and trying to find as many survivors as possible. We have no idea how many of us are left or where they all are. We have people in Rukongai that are looking, but they're not finding many survivors. And Rukongai, well, things are messy there. About a quarter of the people are okay with the Quincy in charge, but those in the poorer districts are having a hell of a time surviving. It's even worse there then it was when Rukia and I were growing up. I have a feeling that Zaraki, Yachiru, Ikkaku and Yumichika are still in Soul Society, beating everyone they can and stirring things up. If we can get some more power and strength, we can overtake them."

Renji stopped and added thoughtfully, "Plus, we have excellent people on our side for stealth and infiltration. Yoruichi, Captain Soi-fon and Karin, there are plans for the three of them to get in and assassinate as many people as possible in the Quincy hierarchy, but Karin will need to be trained more for that. And, just between you and me, I don't know if she has the personality for assassinations. For all of her strength, she hasn't had to kill a human yet."

Byakuya raised his eyebrows at Renji's lengthy discussion. "Sorry if I've bored you Captain. Just think of it as making up for the six years that you've been gone." He smirked. "I am relieved to see you alive and relatively well. If you need anything, captain, just let me know." He stood up, and left without waiting for Byakuya's reply. Byakuya almost smiled. His lieutenant knew him very well.

As he was pondering these thoughts, Ichigo appeared before his eyes. The 17 year old boy was now a 23 year old man, with broader shoulders and a taller frame. There was still the same fierce pride and emotion that he held. He truly looked happy to see Byakuya.

"Eh, Byakuya, so it's true you're alive. I thought you were dead." Ichigo stated, with no tact whatsoever.

"Blunt as always Kurosaki." Byakuya replied, pretending that he held no interest in conversing with the Kurosaki boy, while he was almost relieved to see him alive. With Ichigo on their side, they had a better chance of winning in a future fight.

"Yeah, and you're never tactless. But it's okay, you're still a noble, so you can act like that." Ichigo smirked, at the glare that Byakuya gave him, "Looks like you owe my baby sister. She risked a lot going back there for a fourth time."

"Shut up Ichigo. He doesn't owe anyone anything." Karin stepped forward into the room.

Ichigo looked at his sister as she walked in the room. "I was talking to Byakuya, not you, Karin." Byakuya saw her in the light for the first time and was quite surprised. He saw that she was quite attractive (considering that she was a Kurosaki and all).

She had dark black hair that was pulled up. She wore a red shirt with no sleeves and black pants. Her facial features were really quite delicate and her gray eyes were expressive and he noticed, once again, framed by dark, long eyelashes. She was several inches shorter than her brother, but still taller than Rukia. Her body had curves, yet she had muscle from her training. Overall, she was a lot prettier than her brother. No wonder he couldn't make a connection that they were related. And she seemed slightly more polite (which wasn't much) and intelligent as well.

She looked him up and down quite quickly, her eyes widening slightly as she took in the improvement of his condition. The scars his arms were more faint than the night before, and he was wearing a shirt, so she couldn't see the condition of his back, stomach or chest. She decided not to mention anything in front of her brother about the healing.

She turned to him and said, "You still look like hell." She then noticed that he wasn't paying attention at all anyway.

Instead, she saw that Ichigo and Byakuya were basically engaged in a staring contest. She knew that her brother didn't hold Byakuya in the highest esteem, but considering that the man had basically just come back from the dead, she figured he deserved a little bit of slack.

"Don't look at my sister." Ichigo said as he noticed Byakuya take in the sight of Karin earlier.

Byakuya scoffed at the comment, and was about to retort when Karin cut him off. "I thought you liked Orihime, Ichigo. Now it just sounds like you're jealous of me. You want some of Captain Kuchiki's attention?"

Ichigo looked at her with his mouth wide open. "Wha-what are you talking about? I'm just worried about you." She heard him mumble.

"I know that Captain Kuchiki is a pretty boy, but he doesn't seem the type to swing that way, if you catch my meaning. Probably a lost cause bro." Karin smirked at Ichigo and patting him in the arm, faking sympathy, while ignoring Byakuya's affronted glare.

"Plus, Byakuya-sama is resting and healing. Leave him alone"

She looked over at Byakuya and winked, and then pushed her brother out of the room so that they could leave Byakuya in peace.

Byakuya was surprised. The truth was he had been looking over her features and he had been caught by her brother.

Byakuya was left alone, but the two were still within earshot, outside of his door, plus it wasn't as if they bothered to keep their voices down in their conversation.

Ichigo stared at her. "Karin, I know you feel like you did something good yesterday by sneaking out and rescuing Byakuya but you have to promise me you won't do it again. It's getting more dangerous each time. They have wanted posters for you. They've even given you a name and a large bounty on your head."

"I know. Can you believe that they didn't name me the "Batman". The Masked Lily is way lame."

"Karin." Ichigo said, trying to control his anger at his sister's nonchalance, "This is serious. What happens next time you go? What if you're imprisoned?"

Karin looked at Ichigo with disdain. "I won't get caught. Plus, if they catch me they'll probably execute me instead of wasting their time with torture. I won't have it as nearly as bad as Kuchiki-sama in there."

"What do you mean, Karin?" Ichigo asked, looking at her. What had she seen in the prison cell?

Karin shrugged. "None of your business. Just pretend that Kuchiki-sama magically showed up."

Ichigo stared at his sister. "You're being formal when speaking of him. Why are you being formal? You never use honorifics!"

Karin stared at Ichigo. "The old man told me to respectful to him, said that he deserved it. Also, Captain Kuchiki already has my respect."

"You just met him! You call Toshiro by his first name, and you respect him also."

"Toshiro and I have known each other six years now. And I saw where Kuchiki-sama has been for the past six years Ichigo! You would be calling him Kuchiki-sama too if you saw that as well. You don't know what that man has been through. Hell, I don't know either. BUT, I can tell you that if he survived his imprisonment with at least a small bit of sanity and pride, then he deserves all the respect you can give him." At the end of the statement, she started to leave.

"Karin, please don't sneak out anymore. You're going to get caught."

"Ichigo, this is bigger than me or you. How will Soul Society be reclaimed and balance restored if there aren't enough captains remaining? I have to help as much as I can. I can't use my zanpakto yet, so I will just do the best with what I am good at."

"You're not fighting anyway, it doesn't matter how good you are with Hakuda or Kido."

Byakuya, who had been listening to the two siblings speak, heard Karin sigh. "Okay, Ichigo. Whatever you say." He heard her footsteps leave the hall and go somewhere else.

Byakuya's thoughts were racing. He was quite intrigued by the young woman that he had met only a few hours ago. He was actually left to his thoughts and some peace for the rest of the morning as he convalesced in solitude.

To be continued...

**Authors Note:**

**_I took this off a little while ago, and just got to revising/revisiting the story. I didn't do much with this chapter, because I think it's good already. _**


	2. Chapter 2

**The usual. Don't own Bleach or it's characters. Oh, and I am a Rukia/Renji, Ichigo/Orihime fan, so those pairing ARE mentioned, but are not central to the story.**

**Chapter 2—Training Hours or How one girl learns that her inner world is a trippy place**

On the orders of Yoruichi and Urahara, Byakuya was confined to his room for the next few weeks. He was kept in the loop of the entire goings on and the intelligence reports by the rest of the soul reapers. In the midst of all the planning, strategizing and training, good news was received as well. Orihime and Ichigo would be getting married in two months. Rukia, Rangiku, and Orihime pored over wedding plans and dresses.

All of the planning and talking was done in Byakuya's room, which he allowed. He could tell that everyone was trying to make up for the fact that they believed him to be dead for six years. They needed his input, also on Rukongai and other factors if they were going to invade Soul Society.

Of course, their numbers were small; it wouldn't do them much good to invade right now. They needed man power and support. If any of the missing captains could be recovered, they would exponentially increase their chances. Karin always sat in the meetings as well. Not usually saying much, just taking in everything from the hand drawn maps of Soul Society to the intelligence reports from their allies (those who owed Yoruichi or Urahara something).

He wondered what the main plan would be, in most of the discussions. Several plans were an outright attack while a few others infiltrated Seireitei and captured or killed the leaders of the Quincy. This was the main plan discussed, with Yoruichi, Soi-fon and now Karin the ones that would enter Seireitei. Karin always looked a little pale and hesitant when she was mentioned in the plan.

But the general consensus at the moment was to just lay low, and work on training. If there were more reports of new Soul Reapers being found, then the first priority would be to get them to Urahara's shop or into contact with one of their contacts in Rukongai. Byakuya personally believed that there were still Soul Reapers out there, alive in the districts. They would need a leader to unite them all again. He hoped it wouldn't be him that was expected to unite everyone. He had too many things to deal with at the moment anyway, including the fact that he had no zanpakto.

And, although it was annoying hearing the repetitive plans over and over, it was better to be surrounded by those that respected him so he wouldn't have too many bad thoughts and memories of his captivity.

Still at night, his nightmares would be vivid, his mind never letting go of the horrible memories. The terrifying hallucinations of dead loved ones; the executions of his household staff; the torture and killing of the remaining Kuchiki clan. Of course, he could have been delusional about that as well. Half the time he was lucid and the rest of the time he had no concept of time or place. He figured that it was the same figure, As Nodt, that did it to him, causing him so much fear that it made him weak. He was left alive because of his status as the clan head. Besides him and Rukia, there were no more Kuchikis. He couldn't bring himself to tell her though.

And then there were the interrogations that he was put through-He had fought back at one point in the beginning and was whipped over 40 times in the back for his insolence; his head being held under water until his limbs started flailing; the hot pokers that were burned into his skin, branding him as one of the Quincy captives. And then there were the beatings, usually within an inch of his life. Sometimes there were questions asked. But most of the time, they didn't ask anything-instead, it was enough to prove to the captive Kuchiki that he was nobody now; No longer a noble, soul reaper or even a man. They often just wanted him to scream or yell, to beg for mercy but he never gave in. So, he was treated as an animal, with his pride and honor damaged, but miraculously never eradicated.

He would awake in the middle of the night at Urahara's shop, sweating and panting, afraid that he had screamed or cried out in fear. The worst was seeing Rukia and Renji as ghastly scepters, haunting his dreams. And then he would see Hisana. His beloved Hisana, captured by the Quincy, being torn apart and killed in front of him as she cried for his help. The only time that he had felt grateful for Hisana's premature death was during the past six years. He would awake, knowing that she had already left Soul Society, and they could not hurt her.

He knew he should talk to someone, but he was too proud. He had been taught since he was young never to show his emotions, including weakness. And so he suffered as silently as he could, telling himself it would only get better.

* * *

About a month after his rescue, he was approached by Tessai and Isshin Kurosaki, and looked over carefully. They ordered him to keep eating and drinking as much as possible, because that was what would help him recover all of his lost spiritual energy the most. They also told him that he was allowed to start training again. Grateful to be allowed out of his room, he changed into the "exercise" clothes that were given to him to train in. Strange and loose fitting, but they worked until they could recover their standard soul reaper uniforms and his haori.

He headed down to the basement below Urahara's shop to see if he could meditate and begin training again. He thought he would start with Hoho, since that would help him with hakuda and kido. If he was able to recover Sebonzakura, then he would begin focusing on zanjutsu once again. Already in the basement, however, were two women fighting. One was Yoruichi, and the other was Karin. He hadn't seen Karin since the morning after he saved her. She was wearing all black like Yoruichi and was engaged in a hakuda battle with the master.

Byakuya noticed Soi-fon watching the battle. He was surprised to not see her against Karin, since he figured she would be closer to Soi-fon's level than Yoruichi. Soi-Fon saw the look he gave her, and said, "We fought earlier. If we ever get Soul Society back, I want her as my lieutenant."

Byakuya acknowledged her statement with a slight nod and then turned back to watch the fight. Yoruichi had the upper hand, which wasn't a surprise. She had a lot more experience than the other woman. They were parrying each other quite well, with neither giving in nor lapsing until Karin felt a new spiritual pressure, which distracted her. Yoruichi landed a swift kick to the stomach while Karin's concentration waned and she went flying into the boulders.

"Ouch…" Karin said, getting up slowly. Yoruichi approached Karin with a smirk.

"You were distracted Karin! You can't let your guard down, even with the appearance of handsome young men." She offered a hand to her and helped pull her up. Karin scowled at her. She had lapsed in concentration when she felt Kuchiki down in the basement, but she was more worried by the fact that he was out of his room than anything else. In the month that he had been in the living world, he had been confined to his room, even for meals.

"I wouldn't exactly call him "young" and I was more distracted by the fact that he is out of his room. Is he okay to be out of bed?" She asked, side-stepping the fact that Yoruichi mentioned the word 'handsome' and Karin didn't disagree or agree with her. She was neutral.

"Byakuya will be fine. He's been through a lot, even I can tell that even if he isn't saying much. But he's tough. He'll get over it." Yoruichi answered methodically, even questioning herself. It had been obvious that he had been through hell and back, but the fact that he was still alive and had many of his same traits meant that he would most likely get over everything. He was a pretty stubborn man.

"Okay, whatever." Karin asked, nonchalantly. Yoruichi had told Karin that she knew Byakuya basically since he was a baby. If she thought he would recover, then Karin would trust her. They needed his help as much as possible, and so, if he could get feeling better soon, then the better the chance they had at recovering Soul Society.

They approached Soi-Fon and Byakuya. Byakuya gave Karin a calculated look. His eyes roved over her face, looking as though he was trying to figure her out. What could he possibly be thinking? She decided to stare right back at him. She wouldn't be intimidated into silence by a man with old-fashioned values and ideals. Sure, his pride and arrogance is probably what helped him survive his captivity, but it didn't mean that she would forgive him so easily if he was always a jerk and looking at her like she was trash. She finally broke their silence, deciding that she would be the better person.

"I hope you're feeling well Captain Kuchiki." She asked, her voice mockingly polite.

"Fine. Thank you." Byakuya narrowed his eyes at her tone. What was her problem? He was just trying to figure her out.

Karin sighed. This guy really wasn't a "people person." Not like that was necessarily a bad thing. Half the time Karin didn't feel like she belonged in the midst of crowds, chitter-chattering about anything and everything. She liked meaningful conversations, and chit-chat was fine, but she really liked being by herself a lot.

"Whatever, I'm hungry. Do you want some lunch?" She asked, walking past him and heading up to the dining area to eat.

He shrugged, but followed her up. He made to follow her into the kitchen, but she stopped him with a hand and said, "Just take a seat, I'll get us something to eat." She wasn't doing it because he was nobility or whatever the crap he was. She was doing it because she was worried about him passing out in front of her. He still looked awfully pale, she had assumed his coloring was lighter anyway, but the man practically looked like a ghost with his pale, white skin.

She came back with several bowls of rice, meat, vegetables and tea. Thank goodness Tessai had left food over from dinner the night before. How much money Urahara and Tessai spent on feeding all of the Soul Reapers that lived close to them, she had no idea. They seriously owed the former Soul Reapers a lot. Without them, they wouldn't have been able to survive in the Living World for very long.

They began eating in silence. She chewed through her meal slowly, thinking to herself about things that had been bothering her.

She still didn't know the name of her zanpakto. She had been practicing jinzen like crazy, but nothing was coming to her. Maybe her zanpakto just had a cruel sense of humor?

Even worse than her problems with jinzen, Orihime was planning on making her wear a bright pink dress for the wedding with matching pumps, lots of sparkle, make up and matching hairstyles.

And, they needed manpower in order to even think about taking back Soul Society. They needed more shinigami that were captain class or higher, if they were to even have a chance.

She sighed, and then looked up to see Byakuya watching her, curiously. With her eyebrows furrowed, and her bottom lip out in a pout, it was obvious that she was thinking long and hard about something or some things…

She looked at him questioningly. Why was he staring at her like that?

"Yes?"

"You're awfully quiet." He had expected her to be more boisterous, like her brother. Of course, she was louder with Rangiku, Toshiro, Yoruichi and the others that she knew better, but she had to be dragged into the conversation usually, and although surrounded by people that she knew, seemed to always be in thought.

Byakuya thought it was interesting. He always wondered if Ichigo thought about anything at all, and here was his younger sister, who seemed to always be deep in thought.

"I was under the impression from my brother and others that you don't like to listen to incessant babble."

Byakuya just continued eating. The girl, no, woman was right. He didn't like to listen to needless, annoying conversation, still, it looked like she was thinking pretty hard about some things. He wouldn't ask her what she had on her mind, because while he was mildly curious, he doubted he would care at all.

But, looking at her, he saw an opportunity. The girl was talented but seemed to be lacking in some areas. She was sitting in her soul form, and yet, she carried no zanpakto. That wouldn't do. He wondered if she even knew shikai and just chose to fight with Hakuda and Kido instead of Zanjutsu. Also, he would have to start somewhat easy in order not to wear himself out too quickly. Small steps were the best, if he was to regain his former power. He needed a shinigami with captain-level ability, but someone that could still learn and grow; basically, the weakest person that could still challenge him in training. And, while Karin was powerful, she was nowhere near the level of the other captains.

Byakuya decided right then to break their silence. "I have permission from my healers to start training again."

Karin looked at him with a questioning look and asked, "What are you going to start with?"

"I was thinking Hoho, Hakuda and then Kido. If I can recover my zanpakto…" His voice trailed off.

"Toshiro recovered his pretty easily… But, he's kind of a genius and at peace with himself. Plus, Hyourinmaru is like, crazy obsessed with Toshiro."

Byakuya looked at her questioningly, almost like she was the crazy one herself. She saw the look he gave her and shrugged.

"Sorry, I don't know my zanpaktou's name. It just seems like Toshiro's is more 'in' to him than other zanpaktous are. I don't know though, what most zanpaktos are like."

"Have you met your zanpaktou's spirit yet?" Bykuya questioned, acknowledging that his deduction had been correct. At least he still had enough sense and intelligence to put two and two together.

"Not really. I suck at jinzen." Byakuya nodded at her statement. This did not surprise him, since the Kurosakis seemed to lack a certain meditative peace. While she could sit and think a lot, it looked like she 'overthought' things most of the time.

An awkward silence ensued. He was wondering if she had received help before. This girl had a lot of potential. "Is anyone helping you with jinzen?"

"Everyone's tried. Nothing seems to help. It's just… I don't think I have the patience for it." He looked at her. If he could get her to see that it's not about thinking too hard…

"I'll help." Byakuya said, and then thought to himself, "Why in the world did I say that?"

Karin looked at him with narrow, suspicious eyes. "Why? What's in it for you?" He looked back at her with raised eyebrows.

"Think of it as a deal. I will trade with you. I'll help you with jinzen, we train together with hoho and hakuda."

"What about kido?" He hadn't mentioned kido at all, and she knew that he was supposed to pretty decent, considering that he was captain and all.

He waved a hand. "I still remember all the incantations. I just need to rebuild my endurance and get physically stronger again."

"Even after six years?" She asked, wondering how in the world his Kido couldn't be rusty.

"I recited them while I was imprisoned, during certain times…" Realization struck Karin as she looked at him with slightly widened eyes, and then lowered her head. She glanced back up and looked at him thoughtfully. Thoughts flew through her head about those 'certain times'. She remembered all the scars that adorned his body when she first saw him. She was almost certain that he was referring to torture. As much as she wanted to ask him what happened to him exactly, she wasn't that idiotic.

Byakuya looked at her, well aware that he had let slip too much. She was intelligent enough, that she could put two and two together, he knew. She looked like she was about to ask something, then stopped and just smiled.

"I would be honored if you helped me with jinzen and zanjutsu, Captain Kuchiki." Byakuya looked at her in relief, grateful that she hadn't asked him any questions. She had tact, something that Ichigo should learn from her.

They finished their lunch and then went their separate ways for the day.

* * *

The next morning started bright and early as Byakuya approached the Kurosaki house. He followed Karin's faint spiritual pressure there and knocked on the door. It was only 7:00 AM, so Yuzu answered, a little surprised to see a handsome man waiting at the door.

"Hello," Yuzu asked hesitantly. It was early still, for visitors to the front door and the clinic. Her first thought was that he was quite good-looking, but stern.

"I'm here to see Karin-san." He said, using her first name. He figured that there were several Kurosakis present in their home that he should use her first name.

"Of-of course," Yuzu stuttered, thoughts flying through her head about what this man may want with Karin. Was he her boyfriend? Secret lover? Maybe he was married and Karin was his mistress? All of these thoughts were flying through her head as she invited Byakuya in and asked him to stay for breakfast.

He accepted, since he was hungry still. Living with a bunch of soul reapers at Urahara's shop meant that he had to fight to get his fill of food, and that really wasn't his personality. So he usually only had two or three servings of each as opposed to Captain Hitsugaya, a growing boy; Renji, who insisted that he was also a 'growing boy' but Byakuya felt that if he grew anymore he'd become Jidanbo-size; and Yoruichi, who had always eaten enormous amounts very unladylike since he could remember.

He followed her to the breakfast table, where Ichigo, Orihime and Isshin were all sitting. On the wall was a huge poster of beautiful woman with orange colored hair. He could see the likeness between Ichigo and the sister that had answered the door. Ichigo and Orihime looked up in surprise to see Byakuya at their breakfast table.

"Kuchiki-dono," Isshin said, "It's wonderful to see you. Can we help you with something?"

"Dad," Yuzu said obviously, "Kuchiki-sama is staying for breakfast." She then turned to Byakuya and asked, "Are you related to Rukia?" Yuzu couldn't believe it! Karin was possibly, maybe, probably having an affair with Rukia's relative!

"She is my younger sister." He replied. Yuzu gave a big smile and clapped her hands in appreciation.

"I love Rukia! She was such a wonderful sister to us when Ichigo would leave for long periods of time fighting! Please sit down," she said, pointing to an empty seat, "I'll go get Karin-chan", she told the rest of the family and turned to leave.

"Hey, Byakuya," Ichigo said, "What do you want here?" He was glaring across the table at the said man.

Isshin hit his son in the back of his head, while Orihime laughed nervously, obviously embarrassed about Ichigo's forwardness.

"BE polite or don't say anything at all." Isshin threatened his son, cracking his knuckles.

"I'm so glad to see you feeling better Captain Kuchiki," Orihime said with a kind smile.

"You're as rude as always Kurosaki. It isn't any of your business, but your sister and I will be training together. And thank you, Inoue-san, for your kindness." Byakuya spoke too much, he realized, as he had lost his temper with Ichigo's rude, insolence. The man may have been an ally, but he really needed to learn some manners.

"Not any of my business? You're ten times stronger than her." Ichigo said, outraged.

"You're obviously thinking of the wrong sister." Byakuya replied, barely paying attention to Ichigo's angry face. The boy showed too much emotion. He wore his heart on his sleeve, and that helped him in his battles. But, didn't he realize how much he would be holding his sister back if he didn't let her explore her potential? Byakuya hadn't seen much of Karin, but from his glimpses of her fighting, and training (and the fact that she had busted him out of prison), he was led to believe that she was already at the level of a captain, with the exception of her zanjutsu skill.

"Ichigo," Isshin stated seriously, "Karin is not a little girl anymore. Kuchiki-dono is correct. She is powerful. And she's smart, which makes her more dangerous an enemy than you. I believe that Captain Kuchiki can help her more than anyone else right now. The stronger she is, the more likely she will survive this impending battle."

"But Dad," Ichigo said, "I already talked to her about it and she said that she'd stay out of it."

Byakuya raised his eyebrows at the comment, but didn't say anything. Did Byakuya know Ichigo's sister better than he did?

Isshin just laughed. "You know she told you that just so you'd shut up, right?"

"She shouldn't have to fight. This isn't her battle. What if she gets hurt?" Ichigo said, concerned. "I became a soul reaper to protect her. If something happens to her, it would be my fault."

"Ichigo, be quiet." Karin had entered the dining room to eat. She sat next in the empty chair next to Byakuya. "Whether it's what you want or not, it's my choice. I'll do what I need to in order to help restore balance to the souls there. You've protected me, and I've been thankful for all those occasions. But what about the times that you weren't there because you were training? When I had to kill hollows myself without any shinigami powers at all? Stop trying to make up for your guilt now. I need to learn how to protect myself and to fight. You almost sound like a spoiled brat and I am one of your toys. I'm your sister, and you need to let me make my own choices from time to time."

Yuzu, who came back from the kitchen with tons of food for breakfast, said, "Yeah, Ichigo. And you forget, Karin-chan is strong. She'll do well." Yuzu beamed proudly at her twin and served everyone breakfast which they ate in silence.

Small conversation started between Orihime and Yuzu as they discussed the wedding plans.

"Are we going to wear the pink dresses with the cute bows?" Yuzu asked sweetly "And the polka dot peep toe heels?"

"Yes! That's what we chose. We have to make sure you all look super cute! It will be so much fun, right Karin-chan?" Orihime asked.

Byakuya looked over to Karin-chan, who looked absolutely horrified at the descriptions of the dresses. She swallowed her food slowly, and looked back at Yuzu and Orihime, with their huge smiles.

"Yeah, sounds like a blast." Was the sarcastic remark. Ichigo and Isshin noticed that Byakuya was doing his best to repress the smirk that starting to form on his face. Ichigo didn't know what was going on between Byakuya and Karin, but he was going to keep a close watch on them. It wasn't that he didn't trust Byakuya, he actually did. What he didn't trust was the fact that Karin was a very attractive young lady and Byakuya was an older soul, literally. That was a recipe for disaster in his mind.

Everyone finished breakfast, and Karin took Byakuya's plate from him. "Do you mind waiting a little bit longer?" Karin asked, "I always wash the dishes since Yuzu does all the cooking."

Byakuya nodded and then followed Karin into the kitchen where he watched as she did dishes, leaning against the counter. He was curious about the small house that they lived in. He looked around the small peasant sized kitchen. Yuzu came in to drop off her plate and thanked Karin for doing the dishes as she usually did. Byakuya stopped her to say thank you for the meal. She blushed at how seriously he had said it, with no smile, just stating the fact that he thought it was an "adequately tasty" meal.

Karin rolled her eyes at his thank you. Couldn't he have just told Yuzu that her cooking was damn good? She finished the dishes and as they were leaving, Orihime stopped her and said, "Don't forget Karin, 5:00 PM tonight, we'll do our dress fittings." Karin nodded and told her that she would be there and then left with Byakuya.

"Where were you thinking of going to train?" Karin asked Byakuya.

"Can you think of anywhere peaceful?" Karin stopped to think, and then said, "Sure, let's go."

They walked to a park that had a large green field with nets at the each end and lines on the side that made a large rectangle.

"Why here?"

"I used to love soccer." She said, the noticed the somewhat blank look on his face, " uh.. do you have something like soccer in Soul Society?

"I believe so."

"Well, anyways, more important things started happening so I gave it up. But, if I want to ever feel at peace, than I just come back here and try to remember the days when nothing mattered but running and playing the game."

He nodded at her answer and then told her to take a seat. He sat about 5 feet away, facing her.

Byakuya started his instruction, looking at her. "One of the key steps to jinzen and achieving shikai is to be at peace within yourself. Your zanpakto is a manifestation of your soul. Oftentimes, conflict will need to be resolved in order to achieve peace with your zanpakto so you can work together."

"Close your eyes."'

"Empty your mind. Focus on breathing in and out, and nothing else."

Karin closed her eyes, and started concentrating on her breathing. That was something that nobody had told her before. She focused on taking long, deep breaths. Breathing in through her nose, and out through her mouth. She concentrated on letting air fill her lungs and expand her diaphragm.

Eventually her breathing steadied and it became more natural and not so rigid. She began to automatically relax her muscles and she eventually felt a cool breeze. She thought it was odd since it was a warm day. She opened her eyes-she couldn't take it anymore. She was too curious to see what had caused the breeze.

She saw that she was on an island. Water surrounded her and it was nighttime. A voice was in the breeze calling what sounded like her name. "Karin…Karin…Karin"

"Who are you?" she called out tentatively, wondering whether she had fallen asleep or not.

"Karin…Karin…Karin"

"You're not ready to know yet." A sing-song voice called out. Karin looked around wildly for the source of the voice, looking at the tree and even started scrutinizing the moon.

"Down here," the voice giggled. Karin looked and saw that the voice came from the water. Leaning on the sand of the island was a beautiful woman who had, Karin saw with shock, a fish tail. She was a mermaid. She had dark hair and was wearing a sort of pearlescent, chainmail armor that covered the entire top half of her body.

"What mushrooms did Yuzu make with breakfast?" Karin thought to herself, "I'm tripping on something. There's no way a mermaid can be the manifestation of my soul. She's too pretty and fishy"

"You're right, Karin-sama, I am not your zanpakto. I do take offense though, at being called 'fishy'." The mermaid said with a pout, "We are servants of your soul."

"Um, so will you tell me the name of your master or my zanpakto?"

"No, you're not ready. The ocean is beautiful but deadly, it can go from peaceful to stormy in only minutes. That power is only to be controlled by someone who is at complete peace with themselves. You are still in conflict. Find a resolution, and your training can begin. It's time for you to go. Farewell Karin."

"Conflict? What are you talking about? I don't have a conflict! I am totally at peace!" She said indignantly to the mermaid.

The mermaid, giggled once again, and then touched her forehead and she woke up suddenly.

Byakuya stared at her intensely. She was very self-aware of her messy bun and a slight blush. She stared back at him.

"Did that help?" He asked. He watched her as she had entered Jinzen. The woman looked even younger when she was relaxed.

Karin nodded. Stupid merwhore, Karin thought to herself. She couldn't believe that she talked to a mermaid. That was definitely a tripped up dream, there was no way in hell that a beautiful mermaid could be a part of her soul.

"Apparently, I'm still in conflict within myself. I don't know what that conflict is though…"

Byakuya stood up, and then offered her a hand. She glanced at it curiously as he raised his eyebrows at her.

"That's enough for today. Try again tomorrow." She gave him her hand and let him pull her up to standing.

They started walking back to Uruhara's shop. Karin still couldn't wrap her head around what she had seen. Mermaids? An Island? The ocean?

"What did you see?" Karin looked at Byakuya, trying to decide whether he would think she was crazy or not. He probably would, but what the hell?

"It was nighttime," she started, "There were so many stars in the sky. It was so dark, but there was also the faint light of the moon."

She paused, deciding on whether to continue or not. She glanced over to see him just staring straight ahead. She didn't even know if he was listening, but she continued to speak anyway.

"I was on an island, in the middle of the ocean. It was so tiny, but the sand, it was so soft on my feet. There was a single tree on the island, and I am pretty sure that if I would have lain down on the island, that would have been how wide it was. I heard a faint voice calling my name, and then," she gulped, "and then I talked to a mermaid."

Byakuya looked at her inquiringly. "A mermaid?"

"Yeah, you know, people that live in the sea that have humans from the torso up and fish from the waist down? I don't know if I was just imagining it or if it was real." She sighed, "Sorry, you must think I am crazy."

Byakuya looked at her with a slight smirk. "You do seem crazy, but not for that reason. Don't you remember that Captain Hitsugaya's zanpaktou spirit is a dragon?"

Oddly, even though he still felt she was crazy, he had made her feel better. "Maybe he doesn't have that long of a stick up his rear," Karin thought to herself. She had heard a lot about Byakuya, from Ichigo, Rukia, and Renji. And she honestly believed Ichigo more than the other two, who almost hero-worshipped Captain Kuchiki. Now, since she had met the man herself, she was more inclined to believe the other two.

They entered the shop and went into the basement training ground. Karin was surprised to see that it was empty. It was almost always in use all hours during the day, due to the number of shinigami that lived at the shop or close by. She stepped out of her body and set it off to the side. Byakuya looked at her in shock. He had almost forgotten for a second, that she was a human girl, living and breathing with soul reaper powers.

He brushed off his surprise and faced her. She looked at him and asked, "What do we start with?"

"Let's race." He took off with a flash step. He was fast, even in his weakened condition, Karin realized quickly. When he was at full strength he must have been as fast as Yoruichi, and with as much endurance and stamina. They chased each other around, one right after. Sometimes she would be in the lead, and other times he would. They kept up with each other pretty well. However, his lineage was starting to come through. All the enormous reaitsu that he had was coming in handy. He could keep going for a long time. Karin, however, was starting to fade.

"Enough," Byakuya finally said. He stopped, turned and full on attacked Karin with his fist. She blocked him easily enough and returned the favor with a kick toward his leg, but he was already gone. She sped toward him when she felt and enormous spiritual pressure flare behind her. She quickly back flipped away from Byakuya who was standing right where she was just a few minutes earlier. She was surprised, she hadn't even seen him step that time. She wasn't done yet, though. Karin looked at him with a defiant look.

"You won't catch me that easily…Byakuya-san." She finished with a teasing smirk, and an almost sexy look.

Byakuya froze, surprised at how easily that woman had just affected him with the way she said his name, and the "come and get me" look on her face. He breathed in deeply to regain control of his raging thoughts, recovered quickly and sped after Karin.

Eventually they found themselves facing each other again. Karin raced toward him with a punch to the face ("pretty boy" she thought, jealous that he was so fast) that he dodged easily and reached to grab her arm but she was once again off. He could feel her getting weaker. He would just wear her down and then take her out in a single blow. He continued chasing her for a few minutes more, occasionally engaging her in some fast hakuda. She finally misstepped. He was there and landed a punch on her right cheek bone. She went flying into the rocks and dirt. And more boulders fell on top of her after she landed, so strong was his punch.

He cringed inwardly. He wasn't supposed to hit her so hard. He needed to regain control of spiritual energy. It had been so long since had engaged in hand to hand, that he didn't realize how hard he would be hitting her. He flash-stepped over to where she had landed and removed the boulders to see a battered and bruised Karin underneath with a pout on her face.

"You were toying with me." She stated. "Train with Yoruichi. You don't need my help." She sighed. She hated losing. She moved to get up when his hand landing softly on her shoulder stopped her movement.

He reached his hand toward her face, and started healing the bruise that was starting to form. The feel of his spirit energy, the use of the kido was almost electrifying. It felt extremely powerful, with disciplined self-control holding it all in from exploding. Whereas Ichigo had a ton of spirit energy and absolutely no control, Byakuya was the complete opposite. He had a ton of spirit energy as well, and the most self-control she had witnessed from anybody. It felt, almost intimate the way his hand was caressing her face and healing her with kido. And then she stopped her train of thought at 'intimate' and looked up at him with suspicion.

"I don't want your brother to see that." Byakuya said, answering her questioning look.

"I didn't think you'd be intimidated by my brother." She retorted almost shortly. To say that she was upset because of the way he was making her feel with his hand on her face, was really an understatement.

"I'm not, but I'd prefer not to have to listen to him complain to me anyway." He didn't know why she was upset, but he had definitely felt a quick shift in her attitude.

She looked at him once again, and tried convincing him, "You should train with Yoruichi or Soi-fon. They're definitely at your level more than I am." She looked at the ground, ashamed that he had beat her so easily. She hated losing, especially to boys that she considered prettier than herself. She was pissed that he was so strong and so good looking.

"Look at me." He commanded gently. He then busied himself with healing her arm, which had a scrape on it from the falling boulder. He looked at her as his hand hovered over the scrape, light glowing, and he asked her, "How long have you had your powers?"

"Almost two years," she answered tentatively. What was he getting at?

He took his time healing her arm and then gave her a once over glance. She looked battered, but she wasn't doing too badly.

He looked her in the eye as he said, "You're doing well. Already at captain level with Hoho and Hakuda. Tomorrow we'll work on some Kido."

And that was it. He wasn't an outwardly emotional man. He didn't parade his feelings around for the world to see like others that she knew, including herself at times. But his eyes were the most expressive part of his face. And as he gave her that encouragement, she saw that he was honest, caring, and genuine. She felt like she could soar with the support that those eyes were giving her.

"Okay. Captain Kuchiki—Thank you," she said honestly and appreciatively, knowing that he was doing all of this training to help her, not that he need the training himself.

He just nodded at her. He wondered why he had told her that just now. It was true, she was doing well. But, to be honest, not as well as her brother before her. The sadness, shame and embarrassment that he saw, as she held in her head hanging low, was almost too much for him to handle. He had grown weak in his captivity, he had decided, if this young woman couldn't take a little bit of criticism.

"Come," he said still lost in his thoughts, "Everyone else is back for lunch. You need to eat well in order to restore your energy."

She nodded and followed after him as he took off, slightly confused at his kindness. Ichigo had always complained about him being an uptight, know-it-all, party pooper. While Karin did notice that he was a little uptight, she thought that overall he was a pretty good guy. A little anti-social and impatient, but he meant well.

They arrived in the dining room just as Tessai was bringing out the food. Renji, Rukia, and Rangiku all looked up with mild surprise on their faces at seeing Byakuya and Karin together.

"Brother, where were you? We've been looking for you all morning." Rukia asked hesitantly, curious about where he had been with Karin and exactly what they were doing, but also knowing that it could be offensive to ask so forwardly. Karin looked banged up, with no body, with dirt all over and a few scratches here and there, while Byakuya looked like his usual self.

"Training", was his short, to the point answer. Rukia looked between the two and nodded. Karin smiled tiredly at Rukia. She answered Rukia's question better than Byakuya, "Captain Kuchiki is helping me train for a little bit so I can hone some of my skills."

Rukia looked absolutely delighted. "My brother is so honorable, taking a young woman like you under his wing so that you can become a magnificent soul reaper."

Karin looked at Rukia like she was crazy. She smiled hesitantly, and said, "Yeah…I guess something like that…" Rukia gave her a huge hug and said, "No matter how bad you are Karin-chan, my brother is good enough to make you the best!"

"Hey!" Karin said indignantly, "I'm not bad!" Nobody was listening as everyone at the table laughed lightly at Karin's expense, except Byakuya who looked almost bored. But, Karin, noticing his eyes, saw some amusement in them.

"Maybe I should offer Captain Kuchiki emotion reading lessons for the others?" Karin thought to herself

Tessai came in with a huge platter of rice bowls. He looked absolutely delighted to see Karin at the table. "Ah, Karin-chan, will you stay for lunch?"

"If that's okay Tessai-san." Karin answered with a smile. Tessai-san was one of her favorite people. He had taught her a lot of kido and the man definitely had a soft spot for her that she took advantage of, especially if it bothered Jinta.

"It's no problem at all. I love having you over to eat. You have such a healthy appetite for a young lady."

Karin smiled at his comment. Her translation: "You eat a lot"

"Whatever ugly, it's not like we want you here to eat or anything." Jinta said while sticking his tongue out at Karin. Karin just rolled her eyes at Jinta's remark. She knew that she wasn't a beauty compared to Yuzu (who was Jinta's personal idea of a Goddess), and she was used to Jinta's remarks about her.

Byakuya was outraged at the comment by the arrogant red haired boy. To talk that way to a lady of any sort was unforgivable, whether she was ugly or not. And Karin was not ugly. She was actually quite pretty in her own way, Byakuya thought to himself. Then stopped himself on that train of thought. That was a dangerous thought process. He still loved his Hisana. She would always be his. And he would always belong to only her.

He still felt it was rude of Jinta to make the comment, so he settled on glaring at the young man.

"Oh Jinta-kun," Karin was saying in a sweet, yet dangerous voice, "If you hope to get in my sister's pants someday in your life, you might not want to alienate her twin sister whom she likes more than you." She gave him a sweet smile that didn't reach her eyes. Rangiku and Renji snorted into their tea at the comment.

Tessai laughed and as Jinta started replying, punched Jinta into his bowl of rice. "Stay Karin-chan. You know that Jinta is an idiot and he wouldn't dare mess with my favorite kido student." Karin just smiled genuinely at Tessai as he smiled fondly at the wo man and ruffled her hair. Byakuya sat, looking at the exchange. She could obviously handle herself. He was glad he didn't interfere. Everyone would just to conclusions about his feelings and all that nonsense.

"And," Tessai continued, "You need to stay to make sure you get your strength back so you can make it home. It felt like you were getting some good training from Captain-Kuchiki."

Yoruichi chirped up quickly, as if she had been waiting for this opportunity ever since she noticed that they were together this morning at the Kurosaki residence. "I agree Karin-chan. Byakuya must have been working you pretty hard. I don't know if you'd be able to walk home without some sustenance." There was an evil glint in Yoruichi's eye as she said that.

Karin was pretty innocent considering she was a 19 year old woman, but the undertones were not lost on her or Urahara who opened his fan to cover his smile. Rangiku and Renji just looked at Karin with surprised looks on their faces as Byakuya ignored everyone else. Karin just rolled her eyes and shook her head. She was so used to Yoruichi's antics and comments, that it didn't bother her that much anymore.

Byakuya, also, completely understood what Yoruichi was trying to imply. He looked up at her and stared at her stonily. Yoruichi saw him and winked garishly.

Karin ate a bowl of rice and stir fry and got up to leave when Rangiku and Rukia mentioned, "Karin, you're coming this evening for the dress fitting?" Karin winced as she turned to look at the two shinigami. She sighed. "Yeah, I already told Orihime and Yuzu I would be there. Orihime doesn't realize how much I like her."

"I think she does," Rangiku said, "you're a good girl for not putting up a fuss."

"It's not my wedding, it's hers. And she really wants those dresses, so I'll just go with it."

Rukia and Rangiku smiled. "We'll see you there then Karin!" She waved good-bye and left to go home for a couple of hours before meeting up with Orihime and others.

Everyone else had left the table except Yoruichi and Byakuya (the nobles), who needed more food than anyone else.

"Hey, Byakuya."

"Hmm?" He asked, eating his rice still, not really paying attention. Yoruichi took a long glance at Byakuya. She had kept her self away, giving him the distance he needed to deal with whatever had gone through. She knew that he didn't like asking for help, so she thought that she would ask him.

"Are you okay?" He knew exactly what she meant when the words left her mouth. It wasn't a casual question, but one laced with undertones that had him thinking that she knew exactly what it was he had been through.

He swallowed his food, contemplating his friendship with the woman. She had known him since he was a small child. And he had to admit that a small part of him admired her strength and dedication to her friends. He couldn't lie to her—she would see right through it and call him out on it. He hesitated before answering, "I will be."

Yoruichi looked at him seriously. "I'm sorry we didn't get you out sooner. Everyone thought you were dead."

He just nodded once. They had kept his captivity secret, he wasn't surprised at all. He was getting slightly annoyed about people apologizing about not knowing though. It technically wasn't their fault.

"It's a good thing Karin-chan came along with her powers. The fact that she's an unknown coupled with her Hoho and hakuda abilities has helped us double our numbers."

Byakuya continued eating, not answering Yoruichi. The girl's feats were admirable, but he didn't know why Yoruichi would talk to him about it, unless it was to give him advice since he had volunteered to help train her.

"What do you think about her Byakuya?" Yoruichi's question was laced with undertones of indecency. The woman was so crude, it was unbelievable. What did he think about Karin Kurosaki? She was attractive, intelligent, good-natured, generous, and overall, powerful. With more training, she would become a good soul reaper.

"She has potential," he answered. Yoruichi sighed and mentally smacked herself in the face.

"Do you think she's pretty?" Byakuya looked at Yoruichi like she was mentally unstable. Did she really think he would answer that?

Yoruichi put up her hands. "Okay, Okay! Just forget I said anything. Just know that I know both you and Karin well. If there was anything to happen between the two of you, I would know."

Byakuya gave her a dirty look and continued eating. What Yoruichi suggested was preposterous. Not only would he never have strong feelings for another woman, but the basics were messed up. She was a 19 year old living soul. He was an over 150 year old soul, end of story. Yoruichi got up and left the room, intent on leaving Byakuya in peace before he burned her into ashes through his death glare.

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3—Little Pink Dress or one girl's nightmare and growing attraction **

Karin arrived at the formal dress boutique only a few minutes late. Karin would have been completely fine if Orihime would have wanted a more traditional ceremony, but unfortunately Orihime was enamored with western culture and insisted on a ceremony in which she could wear a white dress and, the bridesmaids would wear formal dresses. In this case, the formal bridesmaids' dresses would be hot pink. Karin was not looking forward to the experience. Inside of the boutique, Yuzu, Rukia, Rangiku, Tatsuki and Orihime were all waiting.

Karin walked in and approached the group, and said hello while they were all herded into a separate reception area. They brought out Orihime's wedding dress to try on first in order to make sure the alterations were made correctly. After all, it was her wedding, and she would be the most important one to look at.

Karin sat with the rest of the women, thinking about training and her zanpakto. She wasn't paying attention when all of a sudden the chatter had gone silent, and there was a loud cough near Karin's ear. Karin jolted, then looked at Orihime, who looked on at her in question while wearing her white wedding dress.

"What do you think, Karin?" Orihime asked, "Everyone else has told me, but I'd like your opinion."

Karin took a long hard look at the long wedding dress. It was strapless, with a sweetheart neckline. It was quite beautiful, not too poofy or sparkly, just a little bit of lace on the dress. It was a simple dress, considering that many western dresses were so ostentatious. It was really perfect for Orihime. She looked quite striking, and she answered the future bride as best she could, "I think you look wonderful in it."

Rangiku stated, "I think she needs more sparkle and for it to be more princess-like. And, the dress is covering her up too much! She needs to flaunt her goods! She's only going to get married once!" Rangiku proceeded to jump up and down, all around Orihime trying to prove her point. Karin wondered how in the world she didn't smack her face with her boobs more often. She was always that enthusiastic and passionate.

"Yeah," Karin argued as she stood up to try and save Orihime from Rangiku's groping hands, "But Orihime is beautiful. If you put her in a busy dress, it will distract from the rest of her, which is practically perfect already." Rangiku stopped at Karin's words and looked over at Orihime. Yuzu, Rukia and Tatsuki all appeared to be deep in thought as well.

"I agree with Karin," Yuzu said, "Orihime is beautiful. She thrives in wearing something elegant, yet simple. Something that will show off her figure and make her look more beautiful than if she wears something too complex." She stopped speaking with a finger under her chin in contemplation, "That's what you meant, right Karin-chan?"

"Err…" Karin began to answer. She was saved by a third party observer.

The elderly boutique owner chimed in. "I think your friend here has a lot of wisdom. But, would you like anything else added on to the dress? Straps, gems, more lace? "

"No, thank you. I feel like this is perfect the way it is. Thank you." Orihime smiled sweetly and stepped off the podium to walk back and go get changed. She stopped in front of Karin and beamed. "And thank you for your input Karin-chan! I appreciate it so much!"

Karin smiled in return. While Orihime was a tad annoying sometimes with her infatuation over her brother (really, was Ichigo that great? Never mind. She didn't want to know), she was looking forward to having Orihime as a sister. The beautiful, busty woman had always been supportive and kind to Karin.

As they waited for Orihime to return, Yuzu looked down at Karin and asked, "Karin, are you okay? You looked like you were daydreaming! Were you thinking about the man who came by for you this morning?" Karin paled at her sister mentioning Captain Kuchiki coming over to their house to collect her for training.

"Uh, no, I wasn't thinking about him," She said quietly, hoping to get some damage control on the situation. She realized it was futile when she saw Rangiku and Rukia smiling widely at her, and Tatsuki openly curious.

"Who was this?" Tatsuki asked curiously, wondering who the man was that Yuzu was referring to. Maybe she knew him?

"Oh, you know. Rukia's brother, Kuchiki-sama." Yuzu said without hesitation. "I was hoping you would tell me what they were doing Rukia, since Karin wouldn't." Rukia and Rangiku looked astonished; They were thinking that Karin had a secret boyfriend. But Captain Kuchiki went to collect her from the Kurosaki household?

"I thought your brother had died in the war," Tatsuki asked confused, since she was well aware of the situation of the refugess and the war in Soul Society. Urahara felt it would be necessary for the spiritually aware humans to understand what was going on.

"You didn't ask, Yuzu," Karin said, sounding hurt. Karin felt a little betrayed by her sister. She was pretty open with Yuzu about most things. Even when Karin was first approached by Toshiro about becoming a Soul Reaper, she talked to Yuzu before anyone else about the choice. She was her twin, her best friend. Why couldn't she have just asked Karin about Captain Kuchiki? It wasn't like there was anything to tell anyways!

While Karin mused about Yuzu, Rukia explained to Tatsuki as quickly as possible that Byakuya was indeed alive.

Rangiku butted in. "Nevermind that! What were you doing?" She asked suggestively, wiggling her eyebrows and winking down at Karin.

"Training, and don't get any ideas!" Karin answered quickly, pointing her finger at them. Rangiku was known for being a gossip. That was one of the first things that Toshiro had told her when they met. If you have a secret or something that you don't want known to the rest of the world, don't tell Matsumoto.

"Oh." Yuzu said, sounding disappointed, "I was hoping that was the cover story."

Karin just looked at her sister's pouty face and shook her said. "Sorry to disappoint you all, but he's only helping me train. There's nothing else going on. Does that really surprise you guys?"

"But what do you think of him, Karin?" Yuzu asked curiously, not listening to Karin's question.

"He's strong, and a good teacher, so far at least. He can beat the crap out of me, so at least I know he's not a wimp." All the girls sighed at Karin's answer. Of course, Karin was only interested in Byakuya as a teacher or training partner or at least that was what she was pretending…

"What's going on?" Orihime asked as she stepped back out of the dressing room, looking between Karin and the rest of the women.

"We're wondering what Karin feels about Captain Kuchiki," Rangiku answered, "and that's not the answer we're looking for Karin!" Rangiku looked Karin in the eye, trying to read her eyes. Rangiku was pretty good at reading people. So either Karin was a really good actress or she wasn't interested in Byakuya except for training.

Karin looked at them, and just said, "Shouldn't we be trying our dresses on?" Karin was done with the subject. She knew the answer that they were looking for. Yes, she thought he was attractive. No, she didn't like him in that way. She had only met him a few months ago, and had little contact with him until today. These women were insane, Karin thought to herself.

Orihime recognized that she was trying to change the subject and decided to help her out. "Yes, we're going this way. They have all of your rooms set up and your dresses and shoes are ready."

They headed over to a different reception area the group excited to try on dresses while Karin trailed behind slowly. They were handed the dresses that they would be wearing by the employees. The dresses were bright pink, no straps, and sparkled with glitter and the occasional rhinestone; the hem hitting just above the knee and skin tight with a little bow located on the small of the back. Karin wasn't looking forward to trying it on. She was led to a changing room. She changed out of her jeans and t-shirt. She glanced briefly at herself in the mirror, then turned around, and put her dress on. It fit like a glove; at least she wouldn't have to worry about getting alterations done and it costing more money than what she was currently paying for it.

She didn't even bother looking at herself in the mirror when she left the room. Orihime was working on trying to help Rangiku get her chest back in the dress when she looked over at Karin, and did a double-take. Rangiku's breasts spilled out of her dress while Orihime ran over to Karin.

"Karin! You look fantastic!" Orihime shrieked as she took Karin's hands and twirled her slowly around to see the fit on the "tomboy" of the group.

Karin flushed a little at the compliment. She had never worn something so short, tight, fancy, pink or sparkly.

Karin looked over at Rangiku, who was trying to stuff her breasts back in the small dress. Orihime wasn't noticing though, as she was still taking in the sight of Karin and asked, "Uh, maybe we should tape those boobs down?" Rangiku started protesting at that comment.

Everyone else came out and looked at each other and gave compliments. Yuzu teared up at seeing Karin in something so pretty.

"Karin-chan! You look so beautiful! Wait until Dad sees you in this!" She exclaimed excitedly.

Karin winced at even thinking about what her dad would say! He would probably start jumping up and down like a lost little puppy, not knowing what do with himself. Then he would probably say something stupid, like "My little girl is a woman!" And throw himself at her mother's poster, and probably start hyperventilating and twittering about men and grandchildren.

"Forget your father; Ichigo will have to keep you away from all the guys!" Tatsuki said with a smile, well aware of how uncomfortable Karin felt getting so much attention. She could tell by the look on Karin's face that this whole 'ordeal' was only for Orihime's sake. Tatsuki knew how she felt.

"Thank you," she said, trying to smile, but failing miserably. She headed back into the changing room to get out of the dress.

She looked at herself in the mirror when she walked back into the room. She stared at herself with a blank expression and changed out of her dress and back into her comfortable clothes. She knew she looked nice, but Karin was always being compared to her siblings. Ichigo with spiritual power and ability and Yuzu with her looks and femininity. She just didn't compare to either one. But, as much as she wished she was as beautiful as Yuzu, she didn't give herself a pity party. She had accepted herself for who she was a long time ago.

Karin glanced once again in the mirror and took a peak. She rarely looked in mirrors. She really had no need for them, since all she did with them was to pull up her hair and brush her teeth. She didn't own any make up or any fancy hair ribbons or clips. Karin thought that her best feature had to be her eyes. Dark gray with long eye lashes. Even Yuzu had said aloud how jealous she was that Karin had such long, full eyelashes.

Karin took a look at the rest of herself. She was really nothing special. Just an ordinary, plain, young woman. But did it really matter what she looked like? She knew that she had many good traits. Besides being a hell of a soul reaper, she was kind, strong and loving. She was loyal and supportive of those that she cared about. But she also knew that she was stubborn and defiant at times. She was a sore loser, and arrogant about her abilities and intelligence.

Karin shook herself out of her reverie. She was thinking too much. Yes, she was jealous of her sister: Yuzu was gorgeous and happy and such an optimistic person. Yes, she was jealous of her brother: Ichigo was able to be a soul reaper and a living human. She felt like she was drowning with one part of her life as a shinigami and the other part as a human. Forget about it when she was going to start up at the university once again in the fall. Wasn't sibling rivalry a normal thing for most families? Just because she was slightly jealous of her brother and sister didn't mean that she didn't love them.

She left the dressing room, and paid for the dress while waiting for everyone else to finish getting back in their clothes.

"We're all going out to dinner," Yuzu said, "Won't you come with us?" Karin thought long and hard about the question. It was just dinner, but Karin really wasn't too hungry and the rest of the women usually had unusual or expensive taste.

"I'm not hungry," Karin replied, "Thanks for the invite though!" She left the shop quickly and started walking back home.

Alone in her thoughts, she didn't notice a spiritual power until it was practically on top of her. She literally walked right into Captain Kuchiki, and fell down. He raised his eyebrows as she looked up at him. She got up herself and picked up her dropped bag.

"Have you seen Rukia?" He asked quietly, glancing over at Karin quickly.

"She's at dinner with Rangiku, Orihime and my sister." Karin responded, and then asked, "Why do you want her? Don't tell me that you're an annoying, overprotective older brother too."

"That's really none of your business" Byakuya said stonily as the young woman faced him.

She looked at him and shrugged. "Whatever. If it was something really important, I would have helped you find her. Guess it's not!" She turned away and started walking back to her house.

Byakuya said, "Wait." He glanced at the young woman, wondering if he should tell Karin about the conversation that he had earlier. He didn't believe that she would gossip. He had changed a lot in the past six years if he was considering speaking of the matter with a young woman he had barely met. But, she seemed sensible enough and he didn't have anyone else to really talk about it with. Yoruichi probably had the most experience with the matter, and she wouldn't take it seriously.

She stopped and he caught up with her. "It is a matter of some import. I need to ask her opinion on a… certain person." He finished lamely. He wasn't sure of how else to put it without giving away too many details or saying any names.

Karin raised her eyebrows with an amused look on her face at Byakuya's extremely vague answer. She believed that she knew exactly what he was talking about though.

"Oh… so Renji finally grew a pair and asked you if he could date Rukia, huh?" There was a mischievous twinkle in her eye that reminded him of Yoruichi.

Byakuya was a little confused by the statement. 'Grow a pair?' He thought to himself, not exactly sure what she meant. He suddenly realized exactly what the statement was referencing and felt his cheeks heat up slightly. This woman was almost as lewd as Yoruichi!

He glared back at her and was trying to think of what else to tell her. She had guessed everything right on. Renji had asked his permission to court Rukia. Byakuya wasn't too surprised by the question—he knew that Renji and Rukia had been close for a very long time, but he wasn't sure if now was the right time or not for Renji to be worrying about it. And as much as Byakuya did like his lieutenant, that didn't mean that he felt that he was good enough to court and marry Rukia. Whether he was a lieutenant or not, he was still considered a peasant, and now that the rest of the Kuchiki clan was gone, it would be expected of her to marry a noble after the war.

He was at a loss because he wanted to know if Rukia felt the same about Renji, and to get her thoughts on the situation.

He looked over at Karin and noticed her staring. Should he tell her or not? She may be a good sounding board, but she probably could care less about what went on with nobles and whatnot. She had already guessed the situation with that shrewd intelligence and perception of her though, so maybe he could get her opinion? Once again, it's not like he had anyone else to ask!

"He's not good enough for her. She's a noble." Byakuya said bluntly, not caring if he offended the Kurosaki woman.

"What would make him good enough for her?" Karin asked in return, wanting to know what his expectations were. "Because, from what I've seen, I don't think Rukia is good enough for him."

Byakuya was about to retort when he took in that second statement from Karin. 'Rukia? Not good enough for Renji?' He sneered as he looked at her.

"How dare you accuse Rukia of being beneath Abarai. She is of noble blood and he is a mere peasant!"

Karin looked amused at the stern-faced man in front of her. He was trying so hard to control his anger at her. She decided to push his buttons a little further…

"Beneath him huh? I didn't think that was their type of relationship…"

She looked over at Byakuya with a wink as he was desperately trying to breathe in deeply to control himself. She had just insinuated that Rukia and Renji had engaged in premarital relations. He would castrate Abarai if that was the case.

Karin laughed aloud at the look on Byakuya's face. She lightly touched his shoulder as he was fuming. He glared at her and she gave him a smile ('wicked woman' was his thought).

"I'm kidding, you know. They both have too much respect for each other and you to do that. Do you want me to explain what I meant or what?"

"Explain." Byakuya answered with only one word, curious to know exactly what the woman did mean about Rukia not being good enough for Renji.

"Well, Renji is completely in love with Rukia. He would do anything for her, whether it's risking his life to save her or risking his rank and career to help her. He goes out of the way to make sure that she's happy and healthy. You know, it's the little things that he does. Like, how every morning, he makes sure that she starts eating breakfast before he does. And when you were gone, whenever she would get upset, he would just hand her a handkerchief without speaking. And he wears the 'Chappy' t-shirt that she bought him for his last birthday practically every day, just to make her happy, even though he hates Chappy. He holds the door open for her, even when it takes forever for her to leave the room or catch up. They've been friends for a long time, and he just knows her so well. And, it seems like half the time Rukia doesn't even notice. I mean, I like Rukia, but she acts almost like a snob around him. He works so hard and tries so hard to make her happy, and she doesn't even respond most of the time."

"Maybe all she wants to be is his friend." Byakuya said, trying to defend his sister. They were still walking toward Karin's home. He was astonished with the woman's observation skills. He honestly felt that Renji was genuine with his feelings, but hearing Karin's thoughts was just confirming that his intuition was correct.

"Then she should tell him that, instead of leading him on. He's like a stray, love sick dog around her. It's pretty gross."

Byakuya once again was astonished at the young woman's thoughts. Didn't every woman wish for a man to love them unconditionally? Was Karin more interested in women? He was slightly confused.

Karin must have seen the look on Byakuya's face because she told him, "What? Just because he's in love doesn't mean that he can act like an idiot."

Byakuya smirked to himself "When most men become enamored, they would do anything to keep the woman they're in love with happy." He mused to himself about his past with Hisana and how he had wanted to make see her smile.

"Well, whatever. If love turns people crazy, no thank you."

"You don't believe in love or marriage?" Byakuya deduced from her scoffing answer.

"Oh, I do. But I don't believe in 'love at first sight' or 'soul mates' or any of that crap."

Byakuya bristled at her forward comment. He felt like Hisana was his soul mate and that he had fallen in love with her immediately.

Karin continued, "Love at first sight' and 'soul mates' are just terms used to try and sway a woman in to bed with a man. I believe that anyone can get married and with work and dedication, can probably grow to love one another and make a successful relationship and marriage." Her statement made sense, but she was so utterly logical it was almost sad. Didn't most women believe in love at first sight and a man sweeping them off their feet?

Byakuya looked at the woman, for the third time in one night with complete astonishment. Where was she getting this thought from? The woman was so grounded into logic and reality; he couldn't believe that she was only 19 years old. There were soul mates, weren't there? That was what he and Hisana were. Yet, he remembered, on her death bed, her apologizing for not being able to love him back.

He was almost hurt when he was reminded of the memory, and it must have shown on his face.

"Wow." Karin said, looking at Byakuya's almost crestfallen face, "I had you pegged wrong. I didn't think that you were a 'hopeless' romantic."

"I'm not a romantic." Byakuya replied, trying to keep his thoughts off of Hisana, their marriage and his non-reciprocated feelings.

"You look like you're going to cry." She responded. She had obviously pushed his buttons and said the wrong thing because he looked worse than angry; he looked disappointed and vulnerable. Her heart ached at the sight of him looking almost hopeless. So she decided to take pity on him.

"Captain Kuchiki," she started formally, trying to make up for any disrespect she may have shown him. "Thank you for asking my advice. I feel like Renji and Rukia are well suited for each other. Renji takes good care of Rukia and will make sure that all of her needs are met and provided for. I approve of him, and I think you do too."

Byakuya stared at Karin, thankful to her, once again for changing the subject. She was perceptive, excellent at being able to read his emotions. And even though she had a teasing quality to her, she cared enough to be serious.

He nodded his head once in acknowledgment of her answer. She looked at him, and said, "My house is only a little further away. You can go back to Urahara's shop or find Rukia…" She wanted him to leave her. She felt almost guilty about what she said. She had no idea it would have weighed so heavily on his mind.

He sighed. "I can't in good conscience leave you to walk by yourself. Plus, your hollow bait right now, with your reiatsu going out of control."

She didn't answer, but kept walking, trying to gain control of her reiatsu. It must have spiked when she had left the shop and had been thinking. She usually had much better control. She just wanted to get home to her room so she could sleep off the emotions of the day. It had been a long day, and the most daunting part hadn't been her training, but facing herself in that mirror with the pink dress. The bane of her existence. They continued walking in silence, and got to her door.

She made to go in the door, then stopped and said "thank you," not even facing him. Her womanly instinct knew that if she would have looked at him, she would have wanted to reach out and pat his sad head or something stupid like that. She shut the door behind her, and left him outside to his thoughts.

He turned away from the door and went to wait for Rukia, whom he had a few questions regarding where she felt her relationship with Renji could go. He was trying to find her when he felt the Kurosaki woman's reiatsu slightly off than usual. It really wasn't too out of control, but he just knew that something was wrong. He was glad though, that he had run into Karin. She had given him a new perspective about Rukia and Renji. A third party observer's thoughts were always something to consider.

He headed back to the Urahara shop and waited up until Rukia came home to speak with her about the subject.

When Rukia came home, she found Byakuya awaiting her. He looked to be in serious contemplation when she approached him.

"Brother, you're awake still?" she asked. Byakuya looked at her.

"Renji asked me an interesting question today." Rukia blushed a little, which Byakuya noticed. He frowned a little. To be honest, he felt that there was nothing wrong with Renji courting Rukia. He was a captain-class shinigami (which means that he rose above his peasant status) who was very loyal and overall, a good person. But he wanted to make sure that Rukia wouldn't be placed in an uncomfortable position if she didn't return her feelings.

Rukia looked at him and said, "What did he ask?" Byakuya looked back with a contemplative look on his face. Six years ago if Renji would have approached him, he wouldn't have hesitated to say no. But now, after Renji had helped and taken care of her, he knew that Renji truly cared for Rukia and very probably loved her. He wouldn't hold her back, if she wanted to be with him. However, their main concentration should be on the war, and after, if they were able to return to Soul Society, they could make their relationship official.

Byakuya looked at her, and said, very straight-forward, "Do you have feelings for him?"

Rukia stared right back, sighed and nodded. "Yes, I do."

Byakuya left, and said, "That's all I need to know." He went into his room and prepared for bed.

* * *

The next few weeks flew by for Karin. Everything returned to normal after their rather interesting conversation about Renji and Rukia, which she was thankful for. She still had no idea what she said that had upset him.

Every morning she trained with Captain Kuchiki in jinzen and after her meditation, he would give her a sealed sword. He was starting to teach her how to fight with a sword. And it was a lot of hard work. She was in pretty good shape, but she could barely keep up with the captain, who according to Yoruichi, had a lot more training to do himself if he wanted to get back up to his previous abilities.

In the afternoons, they raced and worked on Hakuda. He taught her his favorite techniques for Hoho, including the Senka. Ichigo was so mad when he heard about her learning that one. "Did he tell you that he used that move on me when we first met?" Karin just laughed and waved it off.

She was becoming stronger each time they trained, but her zanpakto still eluded her. She had no idea what to do. She was becoming better with jinzen, but every time she entered her zanpakto's world, the mermaid would be there, telling her the same thing-you're in conflict, once it is resolved you will be able to wield your zanpakto effectively.

Jinzen would usually end with her angry and upset, with a sword thrown on the ground.

Byakuya was getting stronger as well. He was almost to the point where he could enter Sebonzakura's world through meditation. He still had to regain endurance, and according to Tessai, gain more weight to handle the movement of handling a sword and fighting once again.

One afternoon, just a few days before the wedding, Karin was on the ground breathing rapidly after getting beat into the ground, once again, by Byakuya. She got up on her wobbly legs and looked at him, determined to keep going, to prove to him that she was getting better.

She had no idea why in the world she cared so much about doing well for Byakuya. It wasn't like he praised or even acknowledged her half of the time. Maybe it was the fact that he had bothered with helping her in the first place, she just didn't want to disappoint him.

He nodded at the determined look on her face, and took off. They once again, battled.

Arm, legs, hands, feet, elbows, knees flying everywhere. They parried each other and kept on going. She eventually missed a step like usual, and he capitalized on her mistake by pummeling her into the ground. She laid face down on the ground, and punched the dirt with her hand. She got up slowly, hurting from the altercation.

She stood up and faced Byakuya again. She steeled herself, and said, "Again, please. And don't hold back." They then continued their quick pace of fighting. This was why he liked training with Karin. She worked hard. She knew that the more difficult and challenging it was, she would work herself to the bone getting to his level. She didn't complain or whine and she held high expectations for herself, which made it easier for him to push her.

They fought and raced on. Eventually, Karin turned on Byakuya and went to kick him. He blocked her kick and then moved to elbow her in the stomach, but she stopped his elbow and tried sending an uppercut to his chin. He moved his head swiftly to the side, narrowly escaping the jab. He went to grab her arm and she grabbed his at the same time. They were even. He looked at her and gave her a small smirk. She looked back at him with her face glowing; she was proud of her accomplishment. Even though he had knocked her down many times today, she had ended the last session on her feet, tied with him for the first time.

"Again?" She asked hopefully. She wanted to continue to train, but a part of her just enjoyed being in his company.

"That's enough for today", he said, looking her over. There was a scrape with dried blood on her forehead, a bruises forming on her cheek, below her ear lobe, and even one on her collar bone. She had a large hand print bruise on her leg, underneath her torn pant leg. "You need some healing." He told her to sit down and she sat quietly, looking lost in her thoughts once again. He began healing her in silence.

She was thinking about the dream that she had the night before. In the dream she was running, her hair whipping through the air in the wind. She was chasing after a little boy. He had dark hair and was so small. Next to him, was her sister, Yuzu. They both stood on the side of the cliff. "You have to choose," they both said, "Who will you save?" Karin stopped, and hesitated looking around. She heard the howl of a hollow and she reached for Yuzu instinctively, and the little boy smiled sadly and jumped off the cliff. Yuzu looked at her and cried. And then Karin woke up.

"Karin-san." She heard Byakuya say. She shook her head to get her thoughts off of her dream. Even though it was a logical choice to choose Yuzu, she felt her heart break at seeing the disappearance of that little boy.

"Sorry," she said, looking at Byakuya, "I was thinking…"

"You're all healed." He said, and then got up to leave.

"Wait," Karin said. She wasn't sure if she should ask him the question, but she trusted him not to laugh at her. And he would most likely have good advice to give. He was a better option than anyone else. As much as she liked Yoruichi and Urahara, half the time she felt they didn't take her seriously anyway.

He looked at her questioningly. "Uh, I have a question to ask you. I hope you don't find it too annoying. It's just, I don't know who else to ask." He nodded at her to continue.

"It's a dream I've been having. I had it last night and it felt so real. In the dream, I've had to choose between my sister and a…stranger. I choose my sister each time, but I always feel so much sadness for not choosing the other person. My zanpakto keeps telling me that I need to make a choice and come to a resolution, and I wonder, do you think that this is the choice that the mermaid is talking about?"

"I don't know," Byakuya said honestly.

"It's just so unsettling, do you have disturbing dreams like that?" Karin suddenly snapped her mouth shut at the look Byakuya gave her. She realized too late, that wasn't the most appropriate question for her to ask him. She was beginning to apologize when he stopped her. He put up his hand to quiet her, and looked her in the eye. He didn't know what exactly it was that compelled him to tell her, but he did.

"I do. I have dreams of the past, of my…imprisonment. I have dreams of people I love getting killed. I think this may be your zanpakto foreshadowing this choice you will have to make. You know one of the choices, but the other is the unknown."

"I'm sorry," Karin said to him, looking him squarely in the eye. She had upset him, but yet he still talked to her. It was like he didn't hear her though, because he kept talking; getting the experience he had, off of his chest.

"The worst were the dreams of Rukia, Renji and," He hesitated before continuing, "… Hisana. I believed that Rukia and Renji had been killed in the battle…"

"Hisana?" she asked quietly to herself. She didn't realize that she had spoken aloud.

"My wife," he answered just as quietly. She tried her best to hide her shock. She didn't realize he was married, and she didn't understand why she felt a pang of sadness mixed with jealousy at his remark.

She suddenly grabbed his arm tighter as she realized something. "Is she still in Soul Society? We need to get her out."

He shook his head slowly. "She died, a long time ago."

Karin breathed a sigh of relief and put a hand on his arm. He looked up into her eyes. He saw such warmth and compassion in those gray, wise eyes. He couldn't believe, at that moment, that she had only been alive for 19 years. She smiled at him, and said, "Thank you for telling me that you've had similar dreams to me, though yours sound a lot worse." She got up to leave, "And Captain Kuchiki, please let me know if I can help at all." She walked out of the basement and went home.

He was left to his thoughts and feelings as she left. Ever since he had been rescued by Karin, he felt like she was the only one that had understood what he had been through. She had seen the tools of torture and the state of the room and him. That must have been why he was so drawn to her. There was also the fact that she didn't know him before his imprisonment, she didn't know what he used to be like before. Although he was never an outwardly emotional person, everyone else felt like that he had shut them out more than ever. Karin never pushed him for any reason, and just now, she had proven that if he did tell her anything, she wouldn't try to prod anything else out of him. He was beginning to trust her immensely for that branch of friendship that she offered him.

She almost reminded him of Hisana. She had a kind, understanding nature just like Hisana. They were distinctly different as well. Karin was determined to a point of stubbornness and although she was respectful toward him, there were definitely times that she made light of his title (mainly goading him while they trained). And there was a self-sacrificing nature that Karin had. She was willing to risk anything for her family, and anyone else that was important to her. He had caught how she asked where Hisana was-she probably would have gone barreling off to Soul Society to rescue her from danger if he hadn't told her about Hisana's death, just because she was important to him.

He sighed as he thought about Karin Kurosaki. He had been thinking about her more and more lately. He wasn't sure exactly why she kept coming up in his thoughts. He shook it off as spending so much time around her, but deep down, he knew that a part of his soul was beginning to heal because of the young woman. He jumped out of the basement and went to his room to try and meditate to regain his connection with Sebonzakura.

**Author's Note: Thank you for all the lovely reviews. I thought that I would like to say a couple of things about Karin and Byakuya's characterization in this fic. Byakuya may seem ooc, but I feel like being a prisoner of war would probably change the way a person reacts to things and their emotions. And as for Karin, I've had her more mature than she probably would be at age 19, but I feel like she is a very caring and loyal person. Somebody who loves with all of her heart and throws herself into things headfirst, willing to help others. And with the war, and all the refugees from Soul Society, she grew up quicker than normal kids because she really wanted to help. **

**I do have this story mapped out from beginning to end, and although a few things have changed (for the better), I WILL FINISH THIS STORY. One of my biggest pet peeves (hope I don't offend by saying this), is when I am reading a fantastic story, by a great writer, and it gets discontinued. I just am so sad when that happens, so I will be finishing this story (about 8-10 chapters total). **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4—One Wedding and a Funeral or how a girl makes an important choice**

**I own NOTHING in the Bleach universe**.

Byakuya Kuchiki sat straight up in his chair as he looked around the "war council room" aka the kitchen in Uruhara's shop. Always one for maintaining good posture, he was straight backed and proud, displaying no outward emotion on his face as he listened to Toshiro Hitsugaya speak.

"I think it's time," Hitsugaya was saying, "That we sent some people into Soul Society for reconnaissance and infiltration. We need more information on what is going on in the districts."

Everyone sat looking at Hitsugaya and contemplating the possibility of moving forward with their plans. They had been training and training, and now it seemed the point of action would begin. Byakuya wasn't sure what to think as he thought of going back to Soul Society himself to try and rally the people of Rukongai to his cause. Noble heritage wasn't exactly appreciated and respected by the lower class citizens. The citizens of Rukongai usually just displayed outward disdain and disrespect for nobility, jealous of the luxuries that were afforded to the noble classes while they suffered in poverty.

Yoruichi opened up her mouth to speak when all of a sudden a large BANG filled the room. Rangiku Matsumoto and Rukia jumped as Karin rushed into the room.

"I'm sorry I'm late! I had a meeting with my school counselor." She apologized to the room as she hurried to take a seat. She looked flustered and hurried, and a tad bit annoyed.

Byakuya took in the state of her appearance, carefully noticing that instead of wearing her usual athletic clothes she was wearing nicer tan colored pants and a light blue blouse with a collar. And her hair, instead of being pulled up in a messy bun, was completely down. She almost looked like a completely different person. He found himself looking at her more often that not lately and was a bit concerned with the fact that his eyes were always drawn to her.

Hitsugaya sighed as he looked over at Karin. "Karin," he said, "I thought you were going to be here on time." Karin swept the hair off of her face and managed to pull out a pony tail holder and put up her hair in her usual style. She looked over at Hitsugaya with her eyebrows raised and an exasperated look on her face.

"I told you earlier, Toshiro. I had to meet with my school counselor to discuss my classes for this upcoming semester. It went longer than I wanted because he wants me to choose a major soon."

Half of what she said was completely lost on Byakuya, but Hitsugaya seemed to understand her statement since he nodded, accepting her excuse.

"And," Karin retorted a bit snappy, "it's not like I have to be involved in your affairs. I am a living human also, you know!"

She glared over at Hitsugaya, with an angry look on her face. Byakuya didn't blame her in the least. She technically wasn't a ranking shinigami, so therefore, she didn't report to any of them as her superior. If she did, it probably would have been him or Yoruichi, since she did most of her training with them.

Hitsugaya just raised his eyebrows at Karin, looking as though he was used to her angry glares and turned to Yoruichi. Hitsugaya had grown up quite a bit over the years. Byakuya remembered when Ichigo used to make him angry and he would blow his fuse. Now, Hitsugaya just reacted coolly to Karin's anger.

"What were you saying, Yoruichi?" Hitsugaya asked, purposefully ignoring getting into a verbal spar with Karin.

"Well, I think it is wise for a few of us to infiltrate the Quincy stronghold. I think we should also send some people to try to sway the citizens to our favor. The more support that we have from Rukongai, the better."

"Not enough people." Byakuya said as Karin stated at the same time, "We don't have enough Soul Reapers." They glanced at each other briefly, before each of them turned to look at Toshiro and Yoruichi.

"And," Renji stated, "Should we spread our forces so thin? There are so few of us left."

"We need to find more survivors." Karin stated assuredly.

"If there are any more…" Soi Fon finished pessimistically. "I think we would have found them by now."

Soi Fon looked around at the rest of the group and said, "Honestly, I think we're just wasting time here. Send myself, Yoruichi-sama and Karin into the Quincy strongholds. We will assassinate the leaders." She finished this statement with a look of supreme confidence on her face. Of course, Yoruichi, Soi-Fon and Karin were all highly talented soul reapers, but Byakuya wasn't sure if that was the best way to engage their enemy.

"That is another option." Hitsugaya said, looking over at Yoruichi and then at Karin, questioningly. For a split second, Karin and Hitsugaya locked eyes and Byakuya felt a tad of annoyance at their camaraderie. He wondered about their relationship. They had known each other for a while, Byakuya had assumed. And he felt slightly jealous, seeing them able to communicate so well nonverbally.

Karin dropped her gaze, and shook her head. She was looking at her feet, not making eye contact with anyone else. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she seemed to be in deep concentration.

"Are you prepared?" Toshiro asked quietly to Karin. She looked up at him and looked around at the rest of the group.

"I don't know if I can." Karin replied honestly, "The Quincy are technically living beings. I've never killed anyone before. I..."

"Karin," Soi-Fon said, "This may be the best chance that we have. Just because they're human doesn't mean that they are good and deserve to keep living. They slaughtered many of our comrades and are creating chaos in the natural order of life and death…"

"I know that!" Karin said, "But is it my right to take the life of another, no matter the choices they've made. What right do I have to do that?"

Byakuya looked at Karin, almost exasperated at her statement. She was so innocent. What right did she have? What right did the Quincy have? She was not a soldier or an assassin. At the moment she was just a human girl who had her own ideas of right and wrong. And fear. She was afraid of killing another human, even if it was for the greater good.

Hitsugaya began to heatedly press Karin again when Byakuya interjected.

"Let us continue to train. More training will not hurt any of us and we don't have a deadline." Karin looked over at Byakuya with a grateful look on her face.

Everyone else nodded their heads at Byakuya's statement, wanting to take a step back from the obvious fact that Karin needed to get some issues resolved. Karin was still staring at her hands when everyone else left the room. She looked completely lost. Byakuya waited for her to get up. She continued to sit there. He cleared his throat and she looked up suddenly. She gazed at him for a few seconds, her face not giving anything away.

She then stood up, said "Good-bye Captain Kuchiki" quite softly, and left Uruhara's shop.

Byakuya was left to his own thoughts as he drifted back to his room. Karin was difficult to understand. On one hand he knew that she had never before had to take a life, and the idea to her was frightening. On the other hand, she had to know that a war was not without bloodshed. She wasn't that naive. And what about all the things the Quincy had to done to the Soul Reapers? At this point it wasn't vengeance. No, vengeance wouldn't get them anywhere. Now, it was about justice being served and balance restored. Putting things back to their proper, natural order. She needed to know that.

But then, it occurred to him, she really didn't know. What was the problem with her zanpakto? She couldn't make an important choice, her zanpakto told her. As soon as she'd choose, she would be able to learn her zanpakto's secrets. And now, Byakuya had a feeling he knew exactly what that choice was. She needed to choose whether or not she really wanted to be a soul reaper or not. She needed to know the responsibilities and expectations that went along with being a soul reaper.

* * *

The hot water sprayed on her back and she was thankful for the feeling as her muscles began to loosen. What in the world was she going to do? Her head began to ache as she thought of the meeting earlier that evening. She never thought of herself as a pacifist, but the fact was that she had never killed anyone before. Would she to protect her family? Or herself? She was absolutely positive that she would. But the fact remained that she couldn't see herself instigating an attack. She hadn't seen firsthand what the Quincy had done to Soul Society. She had only heard the eyewitness accounts of the massacre. But she also knew, deep in her heart, that peace and balance needed to return to Soul Society. And the only way to achieve that was through violence and war. They hadn't even tried diplomacy since almost all of the Soul Reapers had been slaughtered.

She sighed as she turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. She wiped the mirror and looked at her face. She thought back to earlier in the afternoon, when she had met with her counselor at school. He wanted her to choose a major before the next semester, starting in only a few weeks. Her marks were top notch and she could get into any program that she wanted, but the truth was she was a bit lost. She had no idea what she wanted to do. She didn't even want to continue her education at the university, but did it to please her brother and father. She was feeling more and more lost as the summer carried on. She was only 19, and yet, she sometimes felt like she was older, that she didn't belong with the young crowds at the university.

She wrapped her towel around her body, and stepped into her room. She noticed a slight presence and looked to her bed quickly to see Byakuya sitting on her bed, with his back to her, holding a picture frame that he was examining intently. While she could stand and admire his look of concentration all day long, she also wanted to know why in the world he was in her room at that moment. At 11:00 PM. While she was standing in a short towel.

"Uh…" was the noise that came from her mouth. He looked over at her, like he was about to say something when he noticed the state of her dress. He abruptly turned back around and put his hand over his eyes and apologized.

"I am sorry. I didn't realize.." He didn't know what else to say. He had wandered over to her house to speak with her and found her room by tracing the faint reaitsu that was still there. He thought she would be in bed, considering the lateness of the hour. He figured she was somewhere else in the house, and just decided to wait for her to show up.

He found himself examining her bedroom. The small bed with sage green colored sheets. The large poster of a woman playing a sport with a ball that she was kicking. (Most likely that soccer that she had spoken of earlier) She didn't have many personal effects, but he had been surprised to see that she owned a hair comb of some sort (with a longer handle and bristles). He was examining her book collection when his eye caught the photos on her bedside table. All the photos were of her with various soul reapers. There was one picture of her, a much younger girl, with a short white haired boy. And another with her a little bit older than the first picture, with Rangiku and Rukia eating together at a restaurant. Another, of her perched on Renji's shoulder in an old-fashioned kimono at night, with fireworks lighting up the sky.

Everyone in the pictures he recognized. It didn't seem like she had any other pictures of non-soul reapers except the pictures of her and her family, especially her sister Yuzu. He realized, looking at a most likely recent picture of her and her twin. They were really close, with big smiles on each of their faces. And then there was the picture of a beautiful woman who Yuzu took after. That must have been their mother.

When he turned and so her so scantily clad, it took all of his will power to not look lower than her face and he turned quickly so he wouldn't seen to be staring. She didn't see the faint blush on his cheeks. He heard her walk to another side of the room, a drawer opening and another door closing. He didn't want to turn around, just in case he offended her. It was completely improper for him to be in her room this late at night.

He thought of returning to Urahara's shop and returning at a more decent hour. But, something stopped him. It was a sense of urgency. What he needed to tell her, she needed to hear. And maybe she would listen to him. He knew that she respected him, and he could tell her the best about what the Quincy were capable of.

He heard a cough and Karin said, "You can turn around." She looked over at him curiously.

"Have you had your back turned this entire time?" She looked slightly amused. Her hair was wet and tumbling over her shoulders. He watched as she walked to her dresser, wearing pants and skimpy top that had very thin sleeves. She grabbed the comb that she had and started brushing her dark hair while she looked at him.

"Yes." Byakuya answered shortly, feeling slightly embarrassed about finding her in such a compromising state of undress.

Karin smiled. "Always a gentleman. You could have turned around, ya know. I went into the bathroom to change."

She then paused, looked over him once again and asked, "What brings you to my room this late at night? I hope you're not expecting a booty call."

"A what?" Byakuya asked, mystified at her question. Some of the phrases that she said completely stymied him. He had no idea what in the world she was talking about. Probably something inappropriate though, if he knew her.

Karin grinned wolfishly and he immediately understood her question. He was right: inappropriate. He tried not to, but he flushed once again and said dryly, "No. I'm afraid not."

"Why are you here then? Are you a secret stalker? A panty snatcher? Or did you just want to look at the pictures by my bedside?"

"None of those," he responded seriously, "This is important, Karin."

Her face and body language changed immediately. She leveled her gaze at him seriously. She sighed to herself and walked to the bed and sat down. She looked over at him and said, "Well then sit down. If it's that important that you came this late at night, then I'll hear you out." She patted the bed next to her. He sat down primly, with his excellent posture. Karin thought he would make an excellent beauty queen.

Byakuya decided to cut to the chase. They would get nowhere by, what Karin would say, "beating around the bush.

"Are you afraid of killing people?"

Karin glanced at Byakuya with her eyebrows raised. She couldn't lie to Byakuya. He was a mentor and, she felt, a friend. He would be able to see through a lie anyway.

"Yes." She said, "I'm afraid of killing someone. I don't think I'd hesitate to kill if someone I cared for was in danger and there was no other choice. But, even all those times I went into Soul Society to rescue all you guys, I knew I wouldn't kill anyone. I never had to. I feel like I don't have to. Can't we just beat them to a pulp and imprison them?"

"That's inevitable as a soul reaper." Byakuya replied ignoring her question. "We are, essentially soldiers. We are to obey the orders of our superiors and carry them out. As soldiers, we are to defend the citizens of Soul Society with our very lives. More is required to be a soul reaper than just having strong spiritual pressure."

Karin looked at him. He continued to speak to her. "You need to be able to follow orders and have the discipline to follow through. You are at the level of a captain. Would you be willing to drop everything you have here to be a captain in order to help rebuild Soul Society?"

"What? No. I just want to help end the war." Karin was completely flabbergasted. She hadn't thought about being a captain. She was practically drowning now living the double life, and that was without any responsibility at all! She wasn't even considered a substitute shinigami.

"But the war won't be truly over until the damages are repaired Karin. That includes all the postwar reconstruction. You are a living person. You don't need to do this." He told her suddenly. A part of him felt a bit faint as he told her bluntly that he didn't need her to be a Soul Reaper. In the past four months, their friendship had grown quite a bit. He easily considered her one of his greatest allies and companions. And when it came time for them to take back Soul Society, he naturally wanted her by his side.

But she needed to decide for herself. That was the whole point of this discussion. He wanted to be blunt with her because she needed to see that she had to be in it whole-heartedly.

"Byakuya," she said quietly, not sure of herself, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you need to know. I won't make it sound easy, because it's not."

"But the Quincy are living humans, just like me!" She exclaimed.

"What makes someone human Karin? How they're born or their choices? I personally feel that your choices make who you are."

"Who am I to take the life of someone? I'm not God."

"But we are shinigami. It is our job to maintain the balance of souls in this world and the afterlife. You are essentially a god. A death god. And if you can't see that then there's no point in you continuing to train."

She looked at him shocked. She wouldn't cry in front of him. She wouldn't. She refused to. And yet, here was a man that she greatly admired, telling her with a stern tone that she needed to either kill people or stop training with him. She couldn't help it. She felt hot tears prick her eyes. Her hand flew to her eyes to try and stop the tears from flowing.

Byakuya felt numb as he saw Karin starting to tear up. He knew he did the right thing in not sugar coating what he needed to tell her. She needed to get her priorities straight and make her own choices. And she needed to be informed of what lay ahead of her.

"I'm not telling you this to be cruel. I just want you to understand." He said uncertainly.

"Are the Quincy really all that terrible?" Karin asked quietly. "Do they deserve death?"

"There will always be casualties in war. That's what happens. But, about the Quincy… The ones that I have met are quite bad."

She looked at him. They were sitting closer together on the bed now. He could see the moisture of her tears on her long eyelashes. He wanted her to see that the Quincy needed to be usurped. She understood the purpose. They needed to restore balance. But, the methods were what she was afraid of.

"You know that I was tortured." Byakuya began slowly, "I am telling you this not to disturb you, but to have you understand. They would beat me and not ask me any questions. They'd hold me under water so that I would begin drowning, and then let me up. Most of the time I wish they would let me drown. They starved me and always had those braces on my wrists to repress my spiritual pressure."

Karin looked at him, horrified, with her hand over her mouth. She obviously didn't want to hear what he was saying, but she needed to know what he had been through.

Byakuya continued. "My household staff was killed one by one in front of me. They were all innocent, only guilty because they had served the Kuchiki clan. They tortured and killed my family. Rukia and I are the only remaining Kuchikis that I know of. One of the Quincy sternritters, he specialized in a form of torture that would stimulate fear and nightmares. His methods would cause me to suffer hallucinations, and relive old, disturbing memories."

He then stood up in front of Karin and pulled his shirt off of his right arm and turned around. "Do you see it? Do you see what they branded into me?"

The word NOBODY etched into his skin, just on the top of his right shoulder. The scar red with white edges. Karin looked at Byakuya and couldn't help but feel shocked.

"This was what they burned into my skin. They constantly told me that they wanted my pride, that they wanted to prove that I was no longer a man, no better than an animal. As soon as I would admit that I was of no concern in the world, that I had no place anymore to be a living person..." He broke off suddenly, then continued. "As soon as I would admit that I was a nobody, they would allow me to be killed. All I had left was my shattered pride in that place."

"Karin, I know you're heart is in the right place. But I want you to realize that you do have the power to help this battle. You've already released so many of us and it has helped immensely. But if you have any reservations, you can still back out and remain where you are." He finished quietly, with his hand on her shoulder, still half dressed in her room.

She looked at him, and choked, saying, "But what if I become the monster? I don't want to like killing, but what if I..."

"Hush." Byakuya said, interrupting Karin, "There is no need for you to worry about that. You have a good heart. It is hard to kill; you won't enjoy it. Very few good people do. Ask Yoruichi or Soi-Fon or Captain Hitsugaya. They will tell you that it's difficult. You don't have to worry about it effecting you in that way."

"Captain Kuchiki," Karin said hesitantly looking into his eyes, trying to read his thoughts, "I…"

BANG! Karin and Bykuya sprang apart quickly as the door burst open with Ichigo coming inside. Whatever Karin was about to say died on her lips as she saw the look on her older brother's face.

"What the hell are you doing here Byakuya?" Ichigo asked accusingly, looking between Karin and Byakuya suspiciously. Karin quickly put her hand on Byakuya's shoulder, covering the scar that he had shown her earlier. She assumed that it wasn't common knowledge, and he wouldn't want many people seeing it. Ichigo flared a little bit at seeing that movement.

"Karin!" Ichigo started again, when Karin looked at him and said, "Ichigo, just shut up. You had Rukia in your room throughout high school and nothing happened between the two of you then, so don't assume anything is happening now between Byakuya and I."

Byakuya, startled at Ichigo's sudden appearance, regained his bearings and looked at Ichigo. He was giving Ichigo a terrible glare, and said, "My sister stayed in your room?"

"Uh..." Ichigo said, starting to back away from the door as Byakuya started forward, intent on flaying Ichigo and then going back to Uruhara's shop and rebuking Rukia for her forwardness.

A slight pressure on the skin of his right shoulder, held him back and he remembered Karin. She gave him a slight smile, and said to Ichigo, "It might be best if you leave, Ichigo. I wouldn't want you to get too bruised up by Byakuya here before your wedding in a few days. It would be a shame."

Byakuya tried not to smile. Karin was quite a little minx. It had to be a record how quickly she turned the tables on her older brother. Ichigo swallowed, and then glared at Byakuya as he shut the door behind him.

"Thanks for playing along, Byakuya."

"I wasn't playing." He said, looking at Karin, "If she really stayed in his room so often, it's highly irregular and quite inappropriate. There's no excuse for that behavior in a noble."

"And, yet here you stand in my room, not entirely clothed, at midnight." She replied with a smirk on her face. He stared her down and put his shirt back on, determinedly not looking at her.

"You know, Byakuya, you really take things too seriously!"

Byakuya sighed, and then looked at her. He opened his mouth to say something, but she rode over his reply with a simple, yet serious "thank you." He nodded and opened her window to take off. Karin watched him leave, a dark shadow in the night, and knew that she had a lot of thinking to do.

* * *

The day of the wedding dawned bright and early at the Uruhara's shop. It wasn't until the late afternoon, but almost everyone was up already, getting ready and running around the shop.

The morning went by quickly. Byakuya only watched, amused as Rukia and Rangiku rushed around the shop, trying to get everything ready for Orihime. They even dropped Orihime's wedding gown a few times, and ran around screaming in circles after. Soi-Fon stepped on the gown and that send them into even more of a panic. Of course, the dress did have a bag around it, so Byakuya didn't see why it was such a big deal.

All of the commotion though, meant that he was unable to meditate as he wished with Sebonzakura. He was so close to reaching his zanpakto again, he could almost taste it. He was in his room, trying to focus on meditating when a loud knock on the door disturbed him.

"Byakuya-bo!" Yoruichi's annoying voice yelled from outside the room. "I'm coming in whether you're dressed or not!"

Byakuya opened his eyes to see Yoruichi sitting across from him. He looked at the clothing that she held in her hand and his eyes snapped back at her face. "What is that supposed to be?"

"It's called a suit. Men wear them to human weddings in different cultures."

Byakuya continued to look at Yoruichi with an arrogant expression on his face. "I'm not wearing that. It doesn't look comfortable."

"There will be a lot of good food there. But you can only go if you're dressed like this. You can't wear your exercise clothes."

"I'll eat here." Byakuya replied.

"Nah, I don't think you will. I've told Tessai to get rid of all the food in the house. Not like you'd know how to cook anyway, you poor little noble boy..."

Byakuya glared at her, and then grabbed the dark gray suit. He stopped and then looked at Yoruichi once again. "How do I put this on?"

"Well," Yoruichi started, giving him a devilish stare, "first you need to take off your clothes. Do you want help?"

Byakuya closed his eyes and counted to ten while Yoruichi laughed at his reaction.

"I'm kidding Byakuya. I must say though, I think I know of a young woman who wouldn't mind you stripping..."

"Enough." Byakuya said, pointedly glaring at Yoruichi now. He was doing his best to ignore her jab about Karin. But the problem was he was becoming more and more infatuated with the young woman. She was beautiful, strong, determined, sensible and charismatic. He enjoyed her company immensely, and he could see her becoming someone that he might eventually grow to love.

He never thought that he would ever love anyone else besides Hisana. But Karin, she was helping him. She was helping him to heal. After he spoke to her of his tortures, his nightmares dwindled. The affection and goodness that she pored out just made him want to grow closer to her. Her optimism and goodness jabbed at him, helping him break free of the horrid memories he still suffered from. She was like a ray of sunshine in his dark soul. And that light was beginning to dispel the darkness.

Yoruichi grinned at Byakuya's silence. She told him, "the coat goes on last. Don't worry about the tie." She said, holding up a long piece of fabric. "I'll put that on for you." She turned to leave and as she was shutting the door behind herself, said, "The feeling's mutual Byakuya-bo".

Byakuya glared at the solid door, well aware that Yoruichi had already left. He put on his clothes and left the room, holding the piece of fabric and coat. Tessai practically attacked him with kido to get him to hold still so they could work on making his hair look "presentable". They left about ten minutes later and drove a short way to the reception hall where the festivities of the Inoue-Kurosaki wedding was taking place.

It was quite a large building, western in design of the building, but with a large, beautiful traditional garden in the scenery. They entered inside of the hall, since it was rainy that day, and entered the room where the ceremony would be held. Byakuya blinked several times as his eyes adjusted to the bright pink and silver colors that adorned the walls.

As his eyes eventually regained their eyesight, he saw several familiar faces, including Captain Kyoraku, Captain Ukitake, Lieutentant Ise and Lieutenant Hisagi. He acknowledged their waves, pats on the back and smiles with a small nod on his own behalf. Yoruichi guided him over to a row and sat him down. He waited, and was about to start meditating once again when the rows began filling with dozens and dozens of humans.

Ichigo stood at the end of the aisle, with a gray suit on, wearing a light pink shirt and bright pink (tie, was it?) He appeared nervous, and seemed to be waiting for something to start.

Eventually, some music started up and a young man that he recognized as Chad began walking up the aisle with a young woman with short, dark hair. Yuzu followed with the Quincy, Ishida; Rangiku Matsumoto with a human young man that he didn't recognize; Renji and Rukia, (Byakuya smiled faintly at seeing the height difference); and last, he realized with a jolt, Karin with another human young man with light brown hair.

He almost didn't recognize her. Her dark hair was cascading down her back in curls. The hot pink dress she wore hit mid thigh in length and had no fabric over her shoulders or upper arms. The dress was tight, and it clung to her body, accenting her natural feminine curves that were hidden under the exercise clothes that she usually wore. And her legs... How could someone that was so short (a good 7-8 inches shorter than him) have such long legs? It was a completely inappropriate dress for any young woman to be wearing, and yet he had a hard time keeping his eyes off of her.

He felt a painful jab in his ribs and looked over to see Yoruichi and Uruhara grinning at him as they had caught him staring at Karin. He flushed and stared defiantly back at them and then stood up suddenly when Yoruichi grabbed his arm and practically threw him in the air.

A different strain of music started and he looked where everyone else was to see Orihime walking down the aisle with Captain Ukitake. Byakuya hadn't realized that Ukitake was close with Orihime. But then, he remembered about 8 years previous when Orihime had come to train with Rukia and she had become friends with the Captain ever since. He walked her up to the front of the aisle and handed her hand over for Ichigo to hold.

Byakuya didn't pay much attention after he sat down. He was too busy trying to not stare at Karin, who stood to the side of Orihime at the far end of the line of women. Soon, the official told Ichigo he could kiss Orihime, which he did. (And Byakuya looked away. Highly inappropriate to show that kind of affection in public!) They left walking down the aisle and the rest of the young men and women followed. Yoruichi pushed Byakuya to another room, where tables were set up with large vases full of flowers in the middle.

She guided him to a table and told him to sit down and turned to leave. Byakuya realized that the collar on his neck was bothering him. He started trying to fix it himself when he found Captains Ukitake and Kyoraku sitting beside him.

"It is good to see you again, Captain Kuchiki!" Captain Kyoraku said, with a jovial grin in his direction. "We all thought you were dead."

"So I've heard." Byakuya dead-panned to them both.

"Well, it's good to see you out. You're looking pretty good, considering..." Ukitake finished quietly.

"Yeah, we probably had it easy compared to you! I mean, you're a noble, and they aren't liked too much by the Quincy" Kyoraku stated obviously.

"Aren't you both of noble blood as well?" Byakuya replied.

"We aren't of the four great houses, you know that!" Kyoraku waved his fingers in front of his face and patted his head like he did when Byakuya was much younger.

Byakuya sighed. "How long were you imprisoned for?"

"Ah, about five years." Kyoraku said. "Just sitting there in prison, wondering when we were going to be executed, you know. I mean, they killed the old man right away. But then, all of a sudden, we get a message from Shuhei. Tapping on the walls, you know. Anyway, he tells me that this young woman stumbled onto him in prison and had already rescued Jushiro here, since he was so sick. Shuhei had told her to get Jushiro and Nanao out first, since we would be okay. Karin rescued Jushiro and then came back for Nanao that same night."

"The next day, they moved us to a new location. It was a few days later when she was able to get Shuhei and I out. Then she found Soi-Fon in a completely different location, and then, well, found you it appears."

"We owe her a lot," Jushiro said quietly, "I wouldn't have lasted much longer."

Byakuya agreed with Ukitake silently.

Ukitake then looked over at Byakuya and said, "I heard that you've been helping her train. What do you think about her?"

Byakuya gave his rehearsed answer. "She's strong and disciplined. She has a lot of potential to do well as a soul reaper."

"She'd be a captain if we still had our hierarchy?"

"Only if she could get the issue with her zanpakto resolved."

"Ah! Here she is!" Kyoraku stood up suddenly and put his arms out to a young woman walking up to them with a big smile on her face.

"It's so good to see you Captain Kyoraku, Captain Ukitake."

Byakuya glanced over at Karin, well aware, once again of her too short and too tight dress. He pulled at his collar, hoping that it would loosen when Karin caught his eye.

"Is your tie alright Captain Kuchiki?"

He was trying to decide between being honest and saying yes or denying it and trying to figure it out himself. He didn't get a chance to answer when she closed the gap between them and sat next to him and then turned to face him. She put her hands up to his collar and flipped the fabric up and then took off the tie for him.

She looked at him sympathetically and asked, "Did Yoruichi do this for you?"

"Yes." Was his short answer trying to ignore the feel of her fingers brushing lightly against his collar bone and neck and she began to tie the knot once again.

"She did it too tight on purpose. I had a feeling she might do that." Byakuya scowled.

Karin finished and then gave him a big smile and said, "There. All done."

Sitting close to her he noticed that she wore make up on her face. It made her cheeks look rosier and her eyelashes even darker and longer than before.

"Thank you." He replied quietly, trying to ignore the glances that Kyoraku and Ukitake were giving them.

Kyoraku opened his mouth to say something when Ukitake interrupted him loudly and said, "OH look! There's Isshin. I think we're going to start eating!"

Byakuya heard a groan next to him and saw a look of mingled disgust and horror on Karin's face. He followed her gaze to see Isshin Kurosaki dressed in a pink suit with a silver shirt underneath. He blended in well with the flowers and other vivid decorations surrounding him.

He could understand why Karin wore that look on her face. Isshin gave a simpering, pathetic speech about how grateful he was to have another daughter, and pulled a picture of his wife crying to her about grandchildren. Ichigo looked seriously embarrassed. Byakuya didn't notice Karin getting up but all of a sudden she was next to her father and had grabbed his arm in a tight grip. Isshin winced from pain, but Karin said with a large smile on her face.

"My father, the idiot here, is just so happy. Welcome Orihime to our family! And thank you everyone for coming! Enjoy all the food and dancing!" With the fake smile still plastered on her face she took her father by the ear and marched him over to the Soul Reaper table and deposited him next to Ukitake.

"If I ever get married," Karin said to her father sternly, "You are not invited." And she took off walking to the food table.

Isshin sobered up at that and started to stand up to follow her daughter when Ukitake put his hand on his shoulder and said, "Not now. You know your daughter is pretty stubborn."

Isshin almost started giving Ukitake puppy dog eyes when he noticed Byakuya sitting across from him at the table, staring.

"Ah, Byakuya-dono. Thank you for coming to my idiot son's wedding." Byakuya was staring at Isshin, as though trying to figure him out. It was obvious the man was a former soul reaper and he knew Captains Kyoraku and Ukitake. But Byakuya couldn't quite place how he knew the old man, so why was he familiar? He decided to be blunt, as was his nature.

"Who exactly are you?" Byakuya asked Isshin seriously.

"Ah, Kuchiki-dono. Now is not the time." Isshin replied. "You will know, sooner, rather than later."

The rest of the evening passed uneventfully. There was a lot of dancing. Byakuya casually watched as Karin took a turn with each soul reaper, and tried to ignore her dancing with Captain Hitsugaya, who she seemed even more to have a strong connection to.

The crowd began dwindling down, with Kyoraku, Ukitake, Hisagi and Ise leaving early and he stood up to head to the bathroom. He was leaving the room after wondering how much longer it was going to take until they left when he heard a high-pitched scream. His instinct was to stay calm and walk slowly back to the room and he followed his instinct.

He was definitely surprised to see Karin in a choke hold. The person holding her was none other than Juha Back, leader of the Quincy.

She wondered how it could have happened like this. She knew she should have brought her soul candy. She had wandered outside after her dance with Toshiro. She needed a breather.

She wanted to dance with Byakuya, but everyone else she knew wanted to dance with her, including the super embarrassing dance with her doofus dad. He was wearing a leisure suit, she didn't understand why she had to be seen with him.

But the person that she really wished she had been dancing with was Byakuya. The man was sitting, stonily staring at passerby like he wanted to kill them all. He could certainly be a moody man, but it wasn't the worst characteristic possible. She headed outside to get a breath of fresh air when she wandered straight into someone.

He (or was it a she?) was wearing all white and gave her the creeps. It was the cloth over the mouth, she noticed. Dark black with spikes protruding out of it.

"Hmm... What do we have here?" The voice was gravelly. Karin began to try to back up when it grabbed her arm and said, "Stay awhile." She then blacked out.

* * *

In her mind was darkness. She saw Yuzu, Ichigo, Orihime, her father, the little boy from her dreams, all turning into ghastly, horrible zombie like creatures. Then, there appeared Byakuya next to her holding out his hand to hers. She reached for it. He then pulled her toward him and and turned into the zombie himself before killing her, starting to tear her body apart.

* * *

She awoke with a start, breathing heavily.

"That's enough, As." A masculine voice said. "You look quite familiar. What is your name?"

Karin looked at the man across from her now. With the severe look on his face and thick facial hair, he reminded her of dictators that she had learned about in world history.

Karin didn't answer. He pulled her toward him and said, "Well, then, let crash a party."

He marched her to the doors and pushed her through. For a split second she tried to run away. She heard a crack and white hot, searing pain. She let out a scream, almost blacking out from the severe pain she felt. The noise that came from the music and cleaning up of the reception hall stopped suddenly. The pain had come from her arm, her shoulder. She couldn't move it.

How could she have been so stupid not to bring her soul candy? She couldn't even give this guy a fight. And she was well aware of who he was. This was Juha Bach. The leader of the Quincy armies. He was most likely looking for the soul reapers, but she wouldn't give them up.

He held her in a choke hold. He pushed her into a kneeling position in front of him and she whimpered as her arm hung loosely.

"Hello!" Juha Bach's voice boomed loudly. "I am just here for a friendly visit, you see. I am looking for only a couple of people. I will ignore any other fugitives I see here if these two are handed over." He looked around importantly and dragged Karin by her hurt arm as he walked around.

"I know there are several of you shinigami still here. But I am only interested in Byakuya Kuchiki and one called "The Masked Lily. Give them up and there will be no issues."

Karin almost blacked out from the pain in her shoulder as she heard Bach demanding her to be turned in. But, maybe she could still save Byakuya? There was Yuzu, she could see and hear her, pleading and begging him to let her go. But, Byakuya, where was he?

And then Karin finally understood her dreams.

"_You will need to make a choice." Said the dark haired little boy and Yuzu. _

"_Choose one of us." Both of them would say in unison. _

Now she knew. Her zanpakto foreshadowed this happening. She would have to pick between Yuzu and Byakuya; essentially her life as a human being and her life as a soul reaper. She couldn't live as both. But what could she do?

She loved Yuzu. Yuzu was her other half, her better half. They were such good friends, always relying on each other. And Karin had always protected Yuzu and her innocence. There would always be someone there to protect Yuzu though, whether it was Ichigo or her father or Jinta.

And then there was Byakuya. More than any of the other soul reapers, she felt that he was most likely the one to unite Soul Society in their war against the Quincy. He had volunteered to train and mentor her; he had told her of the evils of war and the Quincy; he had shared his own experiences with her.

In a way, Karin felt like he was her better half as well. She was beginning to crave his company. To just sit with him or train with him. Just to be with him. Whether they talked or not, his presence was always calm and soothing to her. With all the things that he had experienced in his life, in a way she wanted to protect him. He seemed to be such a whole, good person still, even after his captivity. It made her want to be a better person.

A warm feeling came fluttering to her heart and tears pricked her eyes as she thought of Byakuya's sweet look of confusion when she fixed his tie and collar. She liked him. A lot. She thought to herself. She wasn't sure if she was in love, but she knew that she wanted to stay by his side, no matter what.

Yuzu would understand. Karin had always felt slightly invisible in her life, always overshadowed by her sister and brother. More of an outline than a full, detailed person. And, now she knew her path. She would miss her sister deeply.

Through the thoughts and the pain she started laughing uncontrollably, hysterically. Juha Bach lifted her by her hurt shoulder and asked, "Is something funny young lady?"

"Not much," Karin said, gasping painfully for breath, "except you already have the so called 'Masked Lily' in your custody." Juha Bach stopped and looked at her.

"But you are a weak human." He replied. Karin swore in her mind. Of course he wouldn't think she was the fugitive. She didn't have any power. Not enough, in her human body at least, to even compare to the "Masked Lily".

"Let go of my daughter." A loud, obnoxious voice called from across the room. Thankfully he had stepped out of his ugly leisure suit and was now in his soul form. He radiated power. A quincy stepped up to deal with her father, but Isshin side stepped the fool easily and hit him with the hilt of his sword, knocking him unconscious.

"Do not attack." Juha Bach commanded to his group of Quincy. It was only a small number of 5-6 individuals, but Karin was sure they were all quite skilled.

Juha Bach looked at Isshin. "Well, Isshin, if this is your daughter, then I have no doubt she is a threat." He looked over at Yuzu, "The other one, she looks like Masaki, I will leave her alone."

"But this one," he said throwing Karin into As Nodt's arms, "I am surprised I didn't see the family resemblance sooner. She looks exactly as your mother did." He turned his back on Isshin.

"You are quite pretty though. Tell me where Byakuya Kuchiki is and I promise that I will kill you quickly. It won't hurt." He said this with a sadistic smile on his face, like it was all she should hope for.

Karin's response was to spit defiantly in the face of the Quincy leader. He wiped his face off, and then Juha Bach raised his fist to hit her when all of a sudden a figure stood in front of her, blocking the fist. He emanated power, so much that it was almost hard for her to stand.

"There you are Kuchiki. Are you giving yourself up for the girl?" Juha Bach asked quietly. "It would be most, ah, _noble_ of you." The Quincy soldiers laughed when they heard the word noble. Karin felt sick, hearing the he/she creature holding her chuckle.

He was practically on top of her in his soul form, wearing his athletic sweats. She didn't know why he was so close until she realized with a start. Sticking out of his back pocket. He had soul candy...

She vaguely heard him reply to Juha Bach. Karin noticed As Nodt's grip had slackened. She assessed the situation and decided to take action, the sooner the better. She used her hurt shoulder and arm to elbow As Nodt in the groin. Apparently it was a boy, because he crumpled in pain quickly. She reached into Byakuya's pocket, pulled out the dispenser and popped the candy into her mouth, her soul springing out of her body. She jumped high and aimed a kick at Juha Bach's head as Byakuya ducked (seriously, could he read her thoughts?) Her foot connected with his hand. He had blocked her kick and he threw her across the room.

She looked around. The only soul reapers left in attendance were her, Byakuya, Yoruichi and her father. She could hear fighting going on. Yoruichi began fighting against one soul reaper while Byakuya went after As Nodt ruthlessly. Karin had a feeling, based on her own horrifying vision that As Nodt was the one who captured and tortured Byakuya the most. One Quincy soldier came after her. She blasted him with some Kido, barely exerting herself. Another one came, and she took him out with a swift kick to the side and then behind the knees.

She was astonished that there were so many more Quincy than she thought. Were they in the shadows or something? She fought more and more when all of a sudden she heard a wail of despair come from the side of the room. It was the sound of Yuzu's voice. Karin looked around to find Yuzu. She looked over and Yuzu was guarded by Isshin. She was okay. But why was she crying?

Karin suddenly felt faint. She stopped what she was doing to catch herself. Why was she suddenly so tired? She began shaking. What was happening to her? Why was she so weak? She suddenly looked down, and saw silver, metal links making a chain coming from her chest.

Karin looked over to where she saw Juha Bach over her body, the neck bent at an odd angle. She became numb. She was dead.

* * *

Byakuya fought tooth and nail against As Nodt. He moved the fight away from Karin's body, worried that it might take some damage in the fight. But, he had an edge. He wasn't going to let this monstrosity continue to live. He had caused too much anguish and destruction. Eventually Byakuya gained the upper hand, even with a sealed sword. He ran the sword through his chest and then decapitated the monster.

Everything around him seemed to finally slow down and he moved to take on Juha Bach when he heard another cry in the room. He was looking at Yuzu who was crying and screaming out, being held back by her father. Isshin appeared to have tears in his eyes as well. Where were they looking? Byakuya's line of vision followed theirs, and his eyes found Karin's body. Dead. He looked quickly, trying to find Karin. She had to get out of the living world.

Uruhara didn't have a gigai prepared for her. If she passed on her own, she'd lose her memory and they most likely wouldn't be able to find her again. He sensed her spiritual pressure going berserk. He flash-stepped over to where her soul was standing, fingering the metal chain.

"Karin," he said quickly, when another soldier attacked her. Karin flinched as Byakuya took care of the soldier. "We need to get you out of here."

"Let her go." Juha Bach said to his remaining soldiers. "She will be no threat in Soul Society. This girl won't even remember who she is. But, capture Kuchiki."

Byakuya looked in Karin's blank, scared eyes, trying to ignore the words coming from the Quincy leader.

"My body." Karin said weakly, repeating, "My body."

"You're going into shock." Byakuya stated. He looked over at Isshin, nodded at him trying to explain his intention, pulled Karin on his back in the middle of all the chaos and flash stepped quickly away while engaging several soldier in hakuda.

They arrived at Uruhara's shop, with Tessai opening the door quickly and preparing the spell for them to go into Soul Society. Karin had already passed out on his back, with her head on his shoulder. Uruhara and Tessai said farewell as they went through the portal into Soul Society and Byakuya looked around at the world where he belonged. And his heart grieved for the vivid life of the young woman on his back, another woman that he cared deeply for who lost their life prematurely.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **  
**It took me a while to hash out this chapter. I really wanted to touch on the whole Karin not wanting to kill people thing. And the wedding details are so-so. And then her dying. So, I know, a lot of stuff happens. This definitely is not my best work. But, it needed to be written for us to move on. Hopefully you don't hate it too much. If you didn't know, this is now AU. **

**Chapter 5: Coming soon-like, in a few hours. Just revising and editing as much as possible. **


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own Bleach. **

**Chapter 5—Queen of Bed Wetting or how a girl and a boy had their first date**

The smell of salt water assaulted her nose. Karin's eyes were still closed as she felt a cool breeze surround her.

'Karin...Karin...Karin..'

The soft chanting of the voices roused her from her dreamlike state. Karin opened her eyes, only to close them again. For some reason, they were hurting. She opened them up a little more slowly, and took in the world around her. She didn't remember much except the sound of Yuzu's scream and a gentle touch sometime after. She wondered to whom that gentle touch belonged. She was thinking of one man in particular, but didn't get her hopes up that it was him.

She took in the world slowly as she lay on the beach, with the soft, white sand underneath her. Quiet, gentle waves lapped on the island. Karin looked around at the beautiful full moon in the sky, with stars spotted all over the inky depths of space.

'Karin...Karin...Karin..."

The soft, melodious voices still chanted her name. She gradually sat up, and turned her head toward the sound of her name. There were about five mermaids there, all in their iridescent chain armor that she had seen them in before.

Karin looked at them, and asked, "Is it time yet?"

The mermaids smiled back. "You have done well Karin-same. We will now take you to our ruler."

Karin shook her head. Her soul really was a beautiful place; that was really hard to believe. Two mermaids grabbed hold of her arms, and pulled her into the depths of the sea.

* * *

Byakuya stood watch over the young woman laying on the floor. He had found an abandoned shack in the 58th Rukongai. It was isolated and in the middle of the woods. It was a perfect place for him to sit and watch the young woman by his side. He felt an obligation to watch over her and make sure she was taken care of in Soul Society, especially since she had done so much for him in the past few months.

At first he was worried that her memories had been lost, even though the time that lapsed between her physical death and their arrival to Soul Society was really only a few minutes. He had to keep tabs on his spiritual energy to make sure there were no flares or flashes. He figured that the Quincy would be on full alert since Juha Bach himself had witnessed the scene of them fleeing.

Whether they wanted to or not, the first phase of their plan to reconquer Soul Society was in motion. There were two shinigami in Rukongai, and they might as well do as much reconnaissance as possible.

He would have to wait though. He glanced at Karin and noticed that for being in a peaceful sleep, she still seemed agitated. He had a feeling that she was meeting her Zanpakto. It was about time for him to enter into Sebonzakura's world as well. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply.

* * *

The smell of cherry blossoms filled his nose. He opened his eyes to see his former home. The Kuchiki manor stood before him, still the same as when he grew up. The buildings still stood tall and grand, with no blemishes on the outside. The shoji doors still unbroken and unopened. Streams were running, and trees stood large in the garden. He walked around the garden, taking in the majestic beauty of his former home.

"Why was Sebonzakura here now?", he wondered to himself.

He had a feeling to check in on the old dojo. He circled around the back of the manor. When he entered the dojo, the scene of his former home changed. It was now dark, dank, and ruined. Nobody had lived here since it was destroyed and plundered six years before. He was saddened, remembering the life that was once here. He had small fleeting memories of his mother and father, before they had both died. And even stronger memories of his grandfather, Hisana, clan leaders and servants. There used to be so much life in this place.

But it could never return to it's former serenity and splendor, could it? After all the things that had happened, this would never be that same place. Too much had happened. Too many memories and the people he shared them with, were gone.

"You see why I have brought you here?" a deep, masculine voice asked Byakuya from behind.

He turned quickly and saw a majestic soldier in armor looking at him. Sebonzakura wore a helmet that covered his entire head and was in armor from head to toe. And from reading his body language, Byakuya could tell that he was angry.

"You willingly threw me to the Quincy, even though you knew they would steal away your power. My power, that I lent you. I thought we were a team." Sebonzakura looked at Byakuya, accusingly. Byakuya could understand the anger that his zanpakto was directing toward him.

"You are now weary, older, and have suffered much. I do not know if you are even the slightest bit worthy to wield my power again. It's time, Byakuya. I will give you only one more chance. Prove your worthiness to me." Sebonzakura held a defensive stance as Byakuya took the asauchi that lay before him on the ground. He said a silent prayer to the Soul King or anybody that would listen, and attacked.

The floor underneath began giving way to Byakuya and Sebonzakura. Sebonzakura parried his attack, and attacked again. Byakuya used his shunpo skill to recover quickly. They were falling into an endless abyss.

It was a sign of his dire situation. If he was to fall in that abyss without Sebonzakura by his side, he would no longer be a capable soul reaper. It was do or die for him. The falling debris made it easy for Byakuya to use as leverage as he attacked Sebonzakura again and again.

Sebonzakura did not give in easily. He matched Byakuya move for move, step by step, strike for strike. They parried each other until there was nothing left for Byakuya to give. He felt his frustration grow more and more. He was giving his all in trying to defeat Sebonzakura, but his earlier confidence was beginning to wane. Was he really able and worthy to wield his zanpakto again?

"Think, Byakuya. What are you fighting for? You lost sight of that! You let fear rule your mind in that first battle with As Nodt, and he tormented you for years in your captivity after!"

Byakuya thought carefully as they continued to fight.

"I...I fight for family and comrades."

"That's not enough!" Sebonzakura snarled at Byakuya as he landed a strike on his right shoulder, the shoulder that bore the scar that was the name "NOBODY". Byakuya winced from the pain that he felt. He jumped back and Sebonzakura's blade was released from his shoulder. Now, Byakuya only had his left hand to use in fighting.

"It's not enough," Sebonzakura stated as he continued his assault, with Byakuya still blocking and parrying the strikes, "it's not enough to fight for others. You were so caught up in fighting for others you wouldn't have a problem dying for them. It's hard to sacrifice yourself for a cause that you believe in, but it's not enough!"

"WHAT ELSE IS THERE?!" Byakuya yelled, losing control of his emotions, as he went after Sebonzakura with renewed strength and energy. "I lost my family, my comrades, any friends I may have had. I worked so hard to isolate myself that the few people I actually cared for were lost to me! I wish I would have died. But, this pride, it wouldn't let me give up and die! I couldn't give in! It's even harder to keep on living when you've lost everything!" Byakuya finished with a yell and drove his asauchi between the plates in Sebonzakura's armor.

The floor stopped falling, and they were back in the dojo. The destruction of the dojo still existed, but there were brighter, slightly cleaner spots, with not as much dirt and grime on the walls. Byakuya turned his eyes away from the surroundings and looked at his zanpakto spirit.

Sebonzakura placed his hand on Byakuya's right shoulder. Byakuya felt relief from the pain that was afflicted there only a few minutes earlier. "You're right, old friend. It is hard to sacrifice yourself for a good cause or for someone, but it's even harder to go on living. Live well, Byakuya. I will lend you my power again. Please, don't go on by yourself. You don't have to be alone anymore." And with that last comment, Byakuya opened his eyes and was in the small shack again. On his side was Sebonzakura, his zanpakto, and old friend. A small smile played on his lips.

* * *

The mermaid warriors pulled Karin down into the ocean. Karin was at first worried about breathing, but then figured that since this was her world she would not drown. Unless this was some elaborate plot by the Quincy. But she didn't feel like they could pull off something this complicated. They were pretty straight forward with their attacks. They needed no subterfuge, they were effective already.

A soft giggle filled the water around them, and strangely Karin heard it in her own mind.

"No need to worry, Lady, you have nothing to fear from your own soul."

Karin only nodded numbly and took in the surroundings around her. Unlike what she had learned about the oceans getting darker the deeper you went, it seemed to get lighter and brighter for her. The mermaids gently guided her further and further, until finally, she had arrive at what appeared a large conch shell. Large, as in the size of three mansions, Karin thought to herself.

"This way, Karin." One of the mermaids pulled her into the opening of the shell. It was a beautiful pearlescent turquoise blue and blended in quite well with the surrounding ocean and wildlife. Karin entered the shell and saw majestic hallways and doors, beautiful furniture made from sea shells and something else was found inside the palace that she had not expected: pictures of herself during her life in Karakura Town.

She gasped in surprise at the images before her. All in front of her were several pictures and paintings depicting Karin's own life. There were several pictures of her when she was a child with Yuzu and many more pictures as she had grown. Pictures of her on the first day of school, playing soccer, eating with her family, and the annual visits to mom's grave. The last picture that she saw, had to be the most recent. It was a picture of her in that horrible bridesmaid's dress, sitting next to Byakuya at the table, surrounded by a few of the other soul reapers.

"Please take down that picture. That dress is hideous." Karin pointed at the picture from the wedding. The mermaids laughed as they glided along.

"They are important memories or people to you, so no, we will not take them down."

Karin stuck her tongue out at the stubborn mermaids. She would just have to avoid this place as much a possible.

The halls and rooms were empty that they continued to pass by, but they eventually found themselves at a set of double doors. The mermaids, opened the doors, and stepped aside, letting Karin enter first.

It looked like a throne room. Karin saw a beautiful purplish colored throne at the end of the room, made of the same pearl that was found on the armor of the mermaids and almost everywhere else. Karin turned to ask the mermaids what she was supposed to do next, but the doors were closed. Karin furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, and kept walking down the aisle.

It was eerily quiet, and Karin wasn't the most patient of women. She was about to start banging on the door for them to let her out, when she heard a "swoosh" noise behind her. She turned around slowly and saw a beautiful woman. She had dark hair like Karin, but ocean blue eyes. She was a mermaid as well, with the same chainmail armor as the other mermaids, but it looked a little fancier and covered her up more. On her head a was an elaborate light purple crown. She was obviously the one in charge.

"Um... hi?" Karin asked hesitantly. She didn't know whether she should bow or shake hands or what. She put her head down awkwardly, trying to regain her bearings and see how she should handle the situation. It just felt like when the queen looked in her eyes, she saw everything about Karin, including her deepest secrets and desires.

A hand lifted her chin. "Keep your head up Karin. You have done well." The queen then motioned to Karin to follow her. Karin followed her until the queen was sitting at her throne. A chair appeared next to the throne and she motioned for Karin to sit there.

Karin sat, and waited.

"We have watched you for a very long time Karin. We have known of you since you were in your mother's womb. And we have watched over you since then." The queen began quietly, "We have seen your failures, heartaches, desires, accomplishments, hardships, and everything else that you've had to endure. We have lent you strength when you couldn't find anything else within yourself."

"And," the queen continued, "we have given you hints of your future. It is a hard life, that of a soul reaper, and above all else we wanted you to be happy. Your future will not be all sunshine and rainbows."

"Are you a fortune teller?" Karin asked, almost stupidly. She believed every word that this crazy mermaid queen was saying, but deep down, Karin's logical side believed that she had inhaled or smoked something that she shouldn't have. This was all so insane. She felt like she should start singing "Under the Sea" with a lobster dancing around helping. It was really disconcerting.

"I assure you that I am real." The queen answered, "What is more real, than a manifestation of your own soul? Who knows you better, than your zanpakto?"

"I wouldn't know. I haven't met mine yet."

The queen looked at Karin, amused. "Really? I thought you just met her?"

Karin looked at her in slight surprise. She had a feeling that this was her zanpakto, but she wasn't expecting this.

Karin shook her head. "There must be some mistake. You..the feeling that I am getting from you is that you're really powerful, and I don't think I can handle a powerful zanpakto."

"A zanpakto is only as powerful as the wielder. A zanpakto is only as powerful as a bond between the soul reaper and zanpakto spirit. That relationship will grow and develop in time. Know this Karin: how I am used as a zanpakto is up to you and how hard you train. It's up to you, the choices you make and the desires of your heart. So I ask you now, Karin? Why do you need a zanpakto?"

Karin thought long and hard at the question. Faces raced through her mind. Yuzu and then countless others of people that she wanted to help. Faces of people she had never met before, and then another face. The face of a small boy with dark hair. The little boy in her dream.

Karin said, "I want to protect. I want to help. I want to restore balance. And, honestly, a little bit of me just want prove myself to others. There's a part of me that just wants to stick it to the Quincy."

The mermaid queen smiled at Karin. "Well, that's a start, at least. Come, although we know you well, you will need to prove yourself worthy to learn my name in order to wield me as your zanpakto."

"Can't I just call you queen?" Karin asked hesitantly. The queen smiled at Karin.

"I'm afraid not." She then attacked Karin head on with a trident.

Karin used her shunpo to dodge the attack. She tripped over the rough terrain of floor underneath her and had to duck and roll out of the way of an oncoming attack. Karin breathed heavily as she dodged another strike. She was looking for a weapon, anything that she could use as a weapon. That was when she saw it. It was beautiful sword made of pearl that was stuck in the ground. A ribbon with purple and turquoise pearls on it hung on the hilt. Karin raced over grabbed the sword, and turned in a defensive stance. She faced the queen head on. She parried this time, instead of dodging like before, and then jabbed at the queen herself.

The queen stopped the blade with the trident and pushed the sword down. Karin wasn't used to the weight of the water and sword and she felt herself slowing down. She knew she wasn't drowning, but she didn't have a fish tail and was definitely at a disadvantage in the fight. Karin realized that in order to win this fight, she might have to use her brains more than her physical power.

"Think of what you will fight for, Karin." The queen said as she attacked again. Karin wasn't sure exactly what was going on, or why she had to fight in order to learn her zanpakto's name, but she started on full survivor mode. All Karin could think of was getting out of there. She began to feel that she was too weak to yield a zanpakto.

Then the thoughts of the queen came back to her, "A zanpakto is only as powerful as a wielder."

Karin's thoughts raced as she kept parrying and dodging the trident. What could she do, to prove that she was stronger or as strong as the queen? She needed to prove herself. That's what this was all about. The crazy shinigami were so violent. Did it really have to be this violent?

"Time is almost up, Karin. Not much longer." The queen said in a more menacing voice. Gone was the kind, but firm queen. Now in her place was a disappointed authority figure. Her face was stern and looked disappointed, but the queen's eyes looked like she just expected something more from Karin.

Karin was pissed. She couldn't land a single blow with the sword. And then, it hit her. She had the wrong weapon. Karin looked at the queen, wielding the powerful trident. And Karin looked around to see if there was any other weapon laying around. There wasn't. The sword wasn't built for Karin, but it would help with her end result. Apparently, this really wasn't a test of strength for Karin, but a challenge for her problem solving skills. She came up with a quick plan.

Karin went on the offensive, jabbing and slashing, just trying to get the queen caught off guard. The queen gave a small, demure smile toward Karin as she parried all the attacks. But it was working toward Karin's advantage. Slowly but surely, Karin backed the queen into an object. The queen gave a gasp of shock as her fin hit the throne. Caught slightly off guard, Karin used the flat side of her sword and pushed it up against the queen's hand with a quick thrust. The hand automatically released the trident. Karin picked the trident up and pointed it at the queen.

"I've found my weapon," Karin said to her with a smirk. She then thought she heard a soft voice whisper in her ear. She smiled at the queen, "Kaiyo Choseki."

"Until we meet again, Karin."

* * *

Karin awoke with a start. She sat up quickly, breathing heavily. She looked around her and saw a small, empty shack. She was on a small sleeping pad, with a blanket that barely covered her and a small pillow at her head. Everything that she was laying on was soaked with water. Except her. She was still as dry as she was before. She saw a sealed zanpakto at her side. Her zanpakto. The same sword that she had used to disarm the queen. She realized that the trident must be her unsealed form.

She noticed a small bag in the corner. She got up slowly, her head spinning a little bit from her experience with her zanpakto. She walked over to the bag, hoping to scrounge some food since she was extremely hungry. She rummaged through the bag and found a small bag of trail mix and a little bit of water. She didn't think it would do much for her appetite but she figured it would help. She wondered where she was and if anyone was with her. The last thing that she remembered was Yuzu's scream. Hopefully she could find out everything soon. She went toward the door, and walked out of the little shack and found herself in the middle of the woods.

There was nothing around for a while, but she sensed someone approaching her. She put her guard up and went back inside with her zanpakto, ready to defend herself if need be. The person was getting closer. The door opened and she held out her blade at the throat of the intruder.

The door closed behind a tall man with a handsome face and short, dark hair. Karin looked at him, blinking. He raised his eyebrows at the blade that was threatening him. Karin breathed out in relief, and then smelled something delicious.

"Food?" Karin asked curiously, lowering her blade and looking at Byakuya with a smile.

She reached to grab the food, but he held it high in the air and away from her.

"Hold on. Who am I?" Byakuya asked suspiciously. Karin glared at him and pouted slightly, especially since she was so hungry and he was keeping the food away from. Jack ass.

"You're Byakuya Kuchiki, a pretty boy and nobleman who is teasing me about that food. I'm hungry."

Byakuya breathed out a sigh of relief. Her memories were still intact it seemed.

"Come, let's eat. We have much to discuss, and it looks like you have a few things to tell me as well," he said, pointing to her now sheathed zanpakto.

Karin nodded in understanding. She went to the small bag in the corner and pulled out another small blanket that she had seen in there before. She took the food from Byakuya and laid out the blanket, with the different foods on top.

"I took a while. I had to go to several different vendors. I couldn't buy it all at one place or I would have drawn more attention to myself."

"You could just say you like to eat." Karin said, taking a huge mouthful of food. She was loving this food. She had never felt so hungry in her life. And this was the best food she had ever had. Period.

"By the way," Karin started as she dug into her second dish, "Where are we?"

Byakuya looked at Karin. He wondered what exactly she remembered. "You don't remember?" he asked.

"Remember what?" Karin asked. "The last thing I remember is Yuzu screaming at Ichigo's wedding. I remember everything before that with the Quincy and dislocated shoulder. That hurt really bad. Hey! It doesn't hurt anymore! Did you fix it for me?"

"No. I didn't heal it. I'm sorry, but you were killed. We're in Soul Society, in the backwoods of the 58th district. I had to get you out as soon as I could, otherwise you would have lost your memories."

Karin put a hand over her mouth. A sudden dizzy feeling came over her. She would never see Yuzu again. A lot of people believed that twins shared a special bond, and even though she and Yuzu were opposites, they had a strong bond. Her only thought was "Poor Yuzu".

Byakuya watched Karin intently to see if she was going to start fainting or what not, but she seemed to take everything in stride.

"Thank you. You didn't have to come with me here. I could have passed on. We would have figured something else out."

Byakuya shook his head slowly. "It's a debt I need to repay. You helped me escape from prison. I had to make sure that you escaped with your memories intact. Plus, we need your help."

Karin nodded and smiled. "Thank you. I really appreciate it..."

There was a pause as they continued eating. Byakuya continued after her thanks.

"A couple of things you may need to know. Here in Soul Society, our spiritual pressure will make us stand apart. Not only must we hide our reaitsu as much as possible, but we also need to watch how much food we eat in front of others. Most souls here do not hunger or thirst. One of the things that sets soul reapers and...other souls apart is that Soul Reapers need the food. That's why you're so hungry here. So, don't eat like this in front of anyone else." Byakuya told Karin.

"I'll keep it in mind." She replied. She continued eating a ton, as her mind tried to find something else to talk about. It was kind of awkward being in the presence of a man that she kind of liked in a non-platonic way all by herself. If anyone else knew about them eating dinner together on a blanket by themselves, they would call it a date. She hoped that nobody else found out about it.

He looked over at the small sleeping pad and blanket that were, apparently soaked with water.

"What happened?" He asked quietly, still chewing on the last bits of food, pointing over to the sleeping pad.

"Uh, yeah. It's not like I had an accident or anything, but well, remember when I told you about the mermaids in my inner spirit world?" Karin fumbled over her words, a slight blush on her cheeks, embarrassed by the question.

"Yes."

"Well, when I was sleeping, I met my zanpakto, and learned her name."

He just looked at her thoughtfully, so she continued her story. She told him about the palace and the battle, and even about the pictures and paintings she had seen (except for that last one, of course).

"I think it may be a water-based zanpakto. So apparently I am going to be a leaky faucet all the time. At least I don't get wet though."

Byakuya stared at her and then nodded.

"You look... well. Better?" Karin started to say. When he looked at her questioningly, she hurried to make herself clearer "I think you look more at peace. That's all. Maybe because you're home?"

"I have managed to communicate with Sebonzakura."

Karin's face lit up at the news. "I knew you could do it," she said, with her face beaming with pride at Byakuya.

Byakuya gave a reluctant smile back, and scoffed saying, "Of course I could." He couldn't help but feel more pride with the way that she was smiling at him.

Karin rolled her eyes at his arrogance, but she couldn't help but feel a little hopeful. She had learned her zanpakto's name and Byakuya was able to speak with Sebonzakura again. Now if only everyone else that had loss their connection to their zanpaktos could regain them, they'll have an even better chance.

Karin cleaned up the take out dishes that were on the blanket and put them in a corner of the room. She would take care of them in the morning. She then folded up the blanket, took it outside the doorway and flung it out a couple of times, getting the crumbs off the blanket. She stepped back inside, and sat across from Byakuya, who had just watched her with interest as she took care of the mess from dinner.

"Now what?" Karin asked, wondering what in the world they were going to be doing in Soul Society until the time came for an attack. They were basically fugitives in a hostile world.

"I think we should follow the plan." He replied, "Reconnaissance, find more survivors, train..."

"And stir up trouble? Can we cause some trouble, please?" Karin asked with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

Byakuya just gave a small smile back. He was looking forward to tomorrow, and in the near future, reclaiming his place in society. He was looking forward to regaining his fallen honor, and oddly enough, he found himself looking forward to causing trouble with the woman sitting across from him. It had nothing to do with the fact that he was attracted to her and just wanted to spend more time with her. Nope, not at all. Now, if only his heart and body would agree with his logical mind.

TO BE CONTINUED

**I've put off writing this chapter for one reason: I had no idea what to name Karin's zanpakto. I came up with this. "Kaiyo Choseki" It's an exact translation of ocean tide (according to google at least. I wouldn't be surprised if it's not that accurate!) I wanted to put 'getsu' in her zanpakto's name, but since I don't know Japanese, and really have too much respect for the language, I wasn't about to butcher the name of her zanpakto willingly. Not so much action or relationship development, which is why this chapter is so much shorter than the others.  
**

**I had to reunite Byakuya with Sebonzakura sometime and Karin had to meet her zanpakto sometime. So, here we go. **

**After rereading, editing and revising the first four chapters, I really didn't change much. I like what I wrote the first time. So, I just fixed a few mistakes I found, and added this chapter. It will be slow going, but I find the longer that I sit, thinking about this story, the better the story is coming along. So, if you don't like, don't comment **


	6. Chapter 6

I don't own Bleach, or Inuyasha (see if you catch the names I borrowed)

**Chapter 6: Travel, Babies, and Cousins or how Byakuya almost faints**

Karin decided that living with a man, was quite an experience. Technically, she had lived with two men so far: Her father, who in her opinion, was one of the world's biggest idiots and her brother, who was, well, her brother. Karin never had thought a few months previous that she would be living in the same place as a man that she happened to like a bit. And it was different. She was always a little more awkward than before. From being slightly embarrassed about the way her hair looked in the morning to awkwardly changing her clothes behind bushes. She was just more aware of him, and the fact that they lived and traveled around together just made her a little more nervous at first.

They were never able to stay in the same location for a long amount of time. Really, they only had a week, tops, to stay at a place. And sometimes, they weren't alone. There were a couple of times that the local children had put them up in the shack the small kids were staying in. It broke Karin's heart to see such young children, starving and without parents. Byakuya was a little bit more disinterested, or at least acted like it. He knew that this was the way that Rukia and Renji grew up. He had explained to Karin, at one point when she asked about anything that they could do for the children, that the only escape for most of these kids was if they were able to move to another district closer to Seireitei or if they had enough reiatsu to go to the Shino Academy. Unfortunately, that second option was no longer available to them. Karin and Byakuya did what they could for the kids as a thank you, which mostly meant feeding them a large meal or two. If they stayed in that area for too long, they would have become too well known for their generosity and alerted more trouble for both them and the kids. So, they discreetly made their way to another district.

Although Karin was not raised as nobility in the living world, there were certain luxuries that she missed on a daily basis. She had to get used to no running water or indoor plumbing, which made it awkward when she asked Byakuya where the bathroom was when they were still in that first shack. She almost smacked her head when he raised his eyebrows, smirked slightly, and then pointed to the woods.

There was also the issues with bathing. Karin was used to showering everyday. And now, she stayed sweaty and dirty while Byakuya still seemed clean and oddly, smelled of cherry blossoms. They weren't able to bathe unless they came upon hot springs, lakes, streams, or a rare public bath.

Karin definitely preferred the hot springs. Usually when they happened on one, Byakuya would watch their stuff while she bathed first and then she would do it for him. Although both of them were comfortable with each other, there was still a level of decency that they worked hard to maintain. And sitting in a hot spring, even without being able to see one another, was out of the question.

And forget about the public bath. The first one that they found, Karin wanted to go to check it out and get clean. She was desperate for the bath or some sort of water to bathe herself in since there hadn't been much rain lately, and the streams that they had run across were quite dry. They had some money. Byakuya flat out told her no. He steered her away from the baths and changed the subject as quickly as he could before she could ask anymore questions.

The second public bath they came to was only a few days later. And Karin still hadn't bathed yet. She put her foot down and said she was going in, and it was then when they had their first real argument.

* * *

**FLASH BACK**

"You're not going in." Byakuya had answered easily, trying to ignore her affronted look.

Karin was furious that he had said no so easily. What right did he have? Didn't he realize how miserable she was?

"Please?" Karin begged to him, "I need it. Water for me to use to clean myself instead of just drinking! I'm starting to smell! It's not that big of a deal, I'm sure it's just like a spa and sauna like, they had in the living world."

Byakuya steered her into an area with a lot more people. She didn't understand it, but he always insisted that when they discussed something they were surrounded by people. Less likely to be overheard by the wrong people, is what he said.

"You can't. I don't know what you had back in the living world that's similar to public baths here, but... women usually aren't allowed."

Karin stared at him. "What? How sexist is that? Why can't women go into the bathhouses also?"

"Well, they can. But, I don't think the women do much bathing themselves." Byakuya replied as quietly as possible, and then watched her. He waited for that dawn of understanding that usually came over her face when he tried to be as subtle as possible. Instead, she still had "that" Kurosaki look: the same one that was always plastered on Ichigo's face. Byakuya sighed realizing that he would have to be a little more direct with Karin.

"The public bathhouses are for men to bathe in. And for other leisurely pursuits. The women are only servants or...entertainment." Byakuya then looked back at Karin. Her mouth was in an "o". She had got the message. She quickly recovered herself. She looked back at him, with a disappointed look on her face.

"So, no bathhouses?" Karin asked, almost pleadingly. Byakuya then realized at that moment even though Karin had never been raised as a noble, she certainly had many luxuries that she remembered from life in the living world. He couldn't stand that look on her face. He knew that they were both starting to stink and were dirty. He, himself, had always liked to bathe as often as possible, but being a prisoner of war for six years taught him to prioritize some things. He realized that as they had been traveling for the past two weeks, he had neglected how much Karin may have needed the peace and relaxation that could be found in a bath. He then answered her question.

"No. But, I remember there is a secluded hot spring between the next two districts. I went there as a boy. We could probably make it there by this evening."

Karin beamed at Byakuya, with her eyes lit up with excitement. He loved when he could make her smile like that, when that smile reached her eyes. And even with all the dirt and grime covering her face, hair and body, he realized she was one of the most beautiful women that he had ever met.

"We should probably get started then." Karin answered, and then practically skipped away. Byakuya watched her, shook his head and then followed after to make sure she was going in the right direction.

That night, after their baths and dinner, Byakuya vowed to himself that they would stop more often to bathe. It seemed like a very simple thing, but it made Karin immensely happy.

**END FLASH BACK**

* * *

But even without all the indoor plumbing and other luxuries that Karin missed, they had it easy. For one thing, Byakuya had an unlimited amount of funds. When Karin asked about how he was getting the currency needed to pay for their food and for the food that they bought on occasion for the children they met, he told her that when they were fleeing from the living world (with Karin passed out on his back), Uruhara's shop had an emergency pack for each of the soul reapers in case they ever needed to evacuate if there was an emergency. Tessai, who had somehow known of Karin's demise before they had arrived at the shop, managed to fit two packs in one. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough to get them by. And, they did have enough money to last them a while without them having to work or trade for anything.

Karin had never been much of a complainer, even in the living world, so she was pretty content once she got used to how things were in the districts. She and Byakuya mainly just traveled from district to district. Sometimes they stayed in an inn, sometimes in an abandoned shack like the first one they were in, and other times they would just lay out underneath the stars and camp.

Everyday was more or less the same. Byakuya had suggested that they use the morning to train. And they did just that. Most of their training was in the woods outside of a district, where there weren't a lot of people around. Between the both of them, they could easily put up a large enough kido barrier to train with each other. Since they both had access to their zanpaktos, they started training a lot more with them. Karin was quick to learn from Byakuya, and Byakuya, in turn, learned a lot about Karin.

While Karin wasn't advanced with zanjutsu as Byakuya, she was able to read the scenarios quite well. A lot of their battles ended in draws. Byakuya refused to fight with his bankai, considering that Karin was still working on her shikai, and it would put her at a severe disadvantage. She, however, was getting better and better at kido, hoho and hakuda.

She hadn't realized how much of a disadvantage she had in the living world, even with being able to manifest her in her soul reaper form. Byakuya explained it to her one day when she exclaimed that she had a lot more energy when it came to racing him in hoho.

He told her that both the living world and Soul Society were bound by laws. In the case of humans, living in the world of the living, their energy and life comes from a physical body. In the case of souls, it comes from the spirit that has died or passed on. He then explained to her, that by using her spiritual body in the physical world, when her soul was still technically bound with a physical body, she had set limitations on the energy that she could expend. Therefore, with her spirit body in Soul Society, she had a lot more energy to use and she was better able to keep up with him while training. He ended this physics lecture, by telling her that there were exceptions to the rule, and the only real exception that he knew of in both worlds was her brother. When he looked at Karin, she was sleeping or at least pretending to be sleeping. His eyes had narrowed at her apparent lack of interest. She just opened her eyes and grinned at him.

"I get it. I get it. I took physics. And, apparently my brother is a big enough force that he can break natural laws. I always knew he was a freak." Byakuya joined her in grinning at that statement.

As the days turned into a few weeks, they began finding themselves in a comfortable partnership and friendship. Whereas before they were simply training partners, now, they were a team. Forced together in order to survive and eventually to gather information and forces to aid the remaining shinigami in helping reclaim Seireitei and their homes.

They were yet to come up with a cover story in case word of two people, traveling from district to district with enough money to get by without trading or working got out. It was during an emergency, that their cover story came to life.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

They had wandered into the the 78th district. With the impoverished look of the area, Karin immediately felt her stomach drop. Byakuya and she walked through the streets, stopping at a couple of vendors to buy their goods. She felt overwhelmed by the depression and low morale that was shown.

"This is where Renji and Rukia grew up." Byakuya stated. He looked around, feeling his respect for the both of them grow. If they could survive in a place like this, they could survive anywhere. He felt a surge of pride at his adopted sister's ability to endure such hardship.

Karin looked around and wondered how in the world they could have survived an area like this one. She felt overwhelmed with gratitude that she felt for her family. Her father may have been an idiot, but he was there for her. He had been there for her entire family and he had provided them with a comfortable home. She was almost starting to feel homesick. Her mind cast for something else to think about or talk about.

"So, this is the 78th district, right? I can't believe that there are 80! How are we going to get through all of them?" Karin asked Byakuya, hoping to change the subject and that her thoughts and attitude would cheer up. Byakuya, stopped suddenly and looked at her.

"Did they not teach you anything about the geography here?"

"Uh...there are 80 districts, right? They go, in ascending order from Seireitei. So District 1 is the closest and 80 is the furthest? Is that wrong?"

"Technically, you're partly right. But, they didn't tell you another important detail. The districts are numbered 1-80 from Soul Society. It's 80 districts in each direction, with Seireitei in the center."

It was Karin's turn to stop suddenly, and look at Byakuya.

"No way!" She yelled. Byakuya looked at her in warning to keep her voice quiet. "No way." She whispered, "You're telling me there are 320 different districts, and we need to gather intelligence in each one?"

Byakuya once again shot Karin a warning look, trying to tell her non-verbally that she should keep her voice down, when there was a loud shriek.

A woman was doubled over in pain in the middle of the street. A man was kneeling next to her. Several passerby failed to notice her and her sobs. Everyone was steering clear of the woman, even going as far as to walk wide around her and the man, crossing the street only to go back to the same side again, only 20 feet down the road. Several people were giving her shifty eyes and mumbling under their breath.

Her sobs punctuated the air. Byakuya had widened his eyes. "They are all superstitious fools." He commented in awe, shaking his head and then continued to walk on his way.

Karin stopped him with a hand on the sleeve of his kimono. "What's going on? Why won't they help her?"

"She's 'cursed', according to those in these harsher districts. They don't understand and they don't know how to help her." He continued to start walking again, down the street. Not avoiding the woman directly, but still not moving to help. Karin looked curiously at the woman as she passed her and then stopped dead. Karin found herself surprised at the woman's condition.

The woman was pregnant. Karin knew that it was possible for those that had passed on to have children. Byakuya himself had been born in Soul Society, and Yoruichi also. But, she had yet to see any babies or hear any cries from small babies in most of the districts. She figured that it was really rare and it was more common among the noble classes to be able to procreate.

Karin found herself walking a little bit closer to the woman.

"Karin," Byakuya said with a slight warning. "We shouldn't be seen here."

Karin looked at Byakuya while the young woman continued sobbing in pain, with her hands on her round stomach.

"She's not cursed. And she needs help." It was a firm statement. One that almost made Byakuya step back. He knew her heart was in the right place, but he felt it would be important to keep moving. They needed to maintain their cover as it was. Right now, their faces were found on wanted posters all over Rukongai. It was only the fact that they kept their heads covered most of the time with a hood that helped them remain anonymous.

Karin moved over to the woman. She put a hand on her the woman's arm. The young man, the assumed father, put out his arms to fight Karin. Byakuya stepped in and tried to calm the young man down.

"I am going to try and help you. You both need to calm down." Karin said, trying her best not to freak out. She had helped her father on a couple of occasions. The first time she was only 15 and she remembered a young woman had stumbled into the clinic. She had no money or insurance to give birth in a hospital and was begging for help. She had promised to work for Isshin after the child was born, but he helped her and refused her offer of service. He had said it was his duty as a medical professional to help those in need, regardless of how much money they had. They moved her to the side of the road, against the wall of an alley.

"Karin, we can't stay here." Byakuya stated firmly. "She needs to be indoors."

"Do you have a home?" Karin asked warily, agreeing with Byakuya, but she felt that the woman might be too far into her labor and in too much pain to be moved far.

"It's in another district. They kicked us out when they found out she was pregnant. Said it would curse the entire district." Karin looked at them with wide eyes. What a horrible lie to go through the district.

"I don't understand what the problem is. Is it because it's so rare?"

"Partly. But it's because the women and the children usually don't survive." The woman stated while trying to breathe through her contractions.

"Not many can afford a doctor or healer to care for them. It rarely happens in Rukongai." Byakuya stated, trying to appear nonchalant. He was standing next to Karin.

"Well, then." Karin said, thinking, "It's no time like the present to dispel this superstition. We need blankets, a knife and hot water."

"And where is she going to have this child, Karin?" Byakuya asked with exaperation, already guessing Karin's answer.

"Right here, of course. If she doesn't have a home or anywhere else to go to, then we can do it here on the street. No big deal." Karin said with a smile on her face and then winked at the young woman.

"You." Karin said, pointing to the young man, "Are you the one that did this?" She pointed to the young woman's swollen stomach.

"Uh..."

Karin snapped at his answer, "Well, make yourself useful. Get some water from the nearest stream and get it hot."

"Yes, ma'am." He started to hurry off, and then stopped, leaned over and gave the young woman a kiss on the forehead.

"Aww... that's sweet. Now get the hell out of here so that I can start helping your wife." Karin said, as she moved to help the young woman lean her back against the wall.

"She's not my wife." Karin looked up at him, wondering why he was still there when she had given him orders already. What a fool this guy was.

"Well, she'd better be soon after what she's going through because of you." The young man looked startled, and then rushed with their traveling bag to the nearest stream.

Karin then looked at Byakuya. He stood, staring stonily at her. "You're still going through with this. I really can't condone this."

"Yes." Karin answered just as sternly. "The only way to combat ignorance is by knowledge and wisdom. If being a pregnant woman is seen as a curse here, then they need to see a woman getting proper care. And I am going to give this young woman a fighting chance."

Byakuya was once again surprised. He didn't know how to respond, since she was correct in her logic. A small crowd was already starting to gather around the two young women. He sighed in defeat. She was already getting a crowd. It wouldn't do much to keep arguing with her.

"You should leave her be! Let her die in peace!" A man yelled as he watched Karin tend to the young woman and check to see how far she had dilated.

"They will be cursed! They might curse us also!"

Karin ignored the person that had shouted. She had more important things to do anyway.

Byakuya, however, decided at that moment to take action himself. He pulled off his hood and stared at those that were starting to surround the two women.

"Enough." He did not yell, but his voice was stern and commanding. "Your ignorance is understandable, but you now have a chance to learn. There is nothing to fear for yourselves. The only one in danger is this woman who is in travail and will be having a child soon. Watch and learn."

The crowd, instead of thinning out, gained more people who watched warily as Karin tried to protect the young almost mother's privacy. The young woman was crying in pain from the contractions.

"I don't know how much more I can take!" She cried to Karin. Karin looked at her.  
"I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself before. I'm Karin. What's your name?"

"I'm Rin. Kind of like your name." She looked at and gave her a small smile. "Am I going to be cursed? That's what they say happens to a woman if she has a child in this world."

"No." Karin stated, "Sometimes a woman has a baby and there can be complications, but most of the time, it's fine."

At this point in time, the young man came walking quickly with as much hot water as he could handle in the pail.

Karin looked at the young man. "Thank you," she said. She then motioned for him to sit behind the young woman, with his back to the wall and Rin in between his legs.

Karin motioned for Byakuya, who looked pale and almost squeamish at what he was seeing. He was hoping that she forgot that he was there. Unfortunately, for him, she wasn't going to let him off the hook.

"Are you alright?" Karin asked, as she noticed his complexion and almost terrified expression. Byakuya, of course, didn't realized how unnerved he was. The fact was, he knew that he shouldn't be there. He was just ignorant as everyone else in the district. He didn't know what was happening, and he really didn't want to know.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked a little more abruptly.

"This is completely inappropriate. I can't be here. This..."

Karin almost had sympathy for Byakuya. He was raised in a society that was old-fashioned and where men had no place with the birthing of children except the conception. But, she didn't have time for him to start freaking out on her about how inappropriate it was! She was about to help a young woman deliver a baby, and he was going to help, whether he wanted to or not.

She put her hand up. She looked at him sternly, but her eyes were still kind.

"Stop, Byakuya. I need your help. You don't need to look or anything, but I need you to grab two blankets and a knife from our pack. Soak one of the blankets in the water and then wring it out. We'll need it to clean up the baby. Sterilize the knife when you're done."

Karin then turned from Byakuya and told the young woman, "You're fully dilated. That means that you can start pushing the baby. You'll feel a tightening feeling, like the one you've been having. When you feel that, push your chin to your chest, and bear down as much as you can. Do it for ten seconds and then you'll take a deep breath and start again. "

"You!" Karin barked at the young man that was holding his girlfriend, "When she starts pushing, you count to 10. Got it?"

Karin then looked over at Byakuya's pale face. She wanted to roll her eyes at how pale his face was. Really? What a wimp. It was no wonder that women were the ones that carried the child and gave birth.

"Byakuya. Be ready. When the baby comes, hold out the dry blanket. I'll be handing the baby to you. And don't look at me like that. It won't weigh that much."

"But I've ever never..."

"Don't worry about it. I need your help. And just sit to the side by the water and have the knife ready and sterilized, got it?"

Karin turned to Rin. "You can do this." Karin looked her fully in the eye, trying to give her confidence. Rin nodded her head once in determination.

"Okay. Push." Rin began pushing, and trying to deliver the child. It took a while, and each time, with her screams, shrieks and heavy breathing, Byakuya looked like he was the one that was about to pass out. Finally, what seemed like an hour later (which was only about ten minutes), Karin announced, "I can see the head. Hold on. I know you want to push, but just take deep breaths." Rin breathed as Karin maneuvered the head, a little bit, and then said, "Okay. One last push."

One last moan and push and a wet, bloody, slippery baby came out. Karin immediately put the child in the blanket in Byakuya's arms. Byakuya felt an immense feeling, looking at the child. The baby (a boy) was red and wrinkly, with flailing arms and legs. But seeing a new life come into the world, was an incredible experience. His heart tightened as he looked at the little infant. Looking at the baby, made him think of Karin, oddly enough.

He looked up at Karin. Her hair was pulled back and with wild fringes coming out. She looked tired as well, but was very pleased that she was able to help. You could tell by the look on her face.

Karin took the knife that was now sterilized, and after tying off the umbilical cord, cut it off. She then turned to Rin, who looked exhausted, and also relieved. She then proceeded to help Rin deliver the afterbirth.

"It's a boy." Karin said, "Now I need to make sure that you're body is fine. She looked down and so that the bleeding was a little heavier than she felt it was supposed to be. Karin looked around, and saw that the crowd was even larger than expected. She sighed. She had hoped she wouldn't have to use any kido, but she promised this woman that she would help her.

She eventually put her hand over Rin's stomach, where her uterus was, and began healing her. The bright energy gleamed off of her hands and fingers. A gasp was heard from the crowd. But nobody moved to interrupt Karin. There was only some murmuring and whispers. But, she noticed that Rin wasn't as pale as she was before. She slowly lowered the energy and then stopped.

"Is the baby okay?" Rin asked, looking over at Byakuya.

"He is fine. Just a little cold." Byakuya really couldn't tear his eyes from the small, innocent child in his arms. He had seen the little one shivering as the father had cleaned him with a wet blanket, and he had taken it upon himself to wrap the child after in a clean blanket. The child was whimpering, and Karin gently took the baby from his arms.

"He needs his mom." She handed Rin the baby boy, and then looked at Byakuya. Byakuya shook his head at Karin, in almost exasperation. He was upset that she had used kido so openly, but he was also felt overwhelming pride at her. He had never seen a person that was so in control of a situation. It seemed like there was always something new that he learned about her. When he thought he had figured everything out about her, she surprised him.

Karin then looked at Rin and her boyfriend, who throughout all the labor and delivery was just known as "you", and was now being called Souta by his girlfriend.

"Do you need to know how to care for the baby?"

"Yes. I've heard before, from the woman that raised me, when I was growing up..."

"Well, then we must be going." Karin stood up suddenly, and then wavered slightly in place. Byakuya put his hand on Karin's elbow to steady her. She thanked him and regained her balance. He let go after. Byakuya then put everything together that he could for them. He then, she noticed had pressed some currency into the blanket that he left with them for the child.

Karin smiled as she saw him. For all of his arrogance and "Nobles Rule!" attitude he could be generous at times. He smiled back at her, and then said, "Let's go."

"Wait!" Souta said holding out his hand to them, with an arm around Rin, "Please, thank you. Thank you so much."

"I'm sorry there's nothing more for us to do. We must be going."

"Please." Rin said, "We have to thank you and your companion for helping us." Rin had wavered at the word companion, as if she wasn't sure what there relationship was.

Karin said "cousin" at the same time as Byakuya said "friend."

Karin then said "friend" at the same time as Byakuya said "cousin."

They then looked at each other in exasperation, almost in a staring contest.

They were interrupted by Rin's giggle and Souta's chortle. "Well, whatever you two are. Please, do us the honor of naming our son."

Karin and Byakuya looked at the small little baby, with his wrinkly skin and tuft of black hair. Karin looked at Byakuya, and nudged him slightly.

"Why don't you choose?" Karin asked quietly. Byakuya thought quietly for a moment. He then told them the name he would have named his own son.

"Sojun." He then turned his heel to leave. The large crowd parted for him as he left. Karin waved to them, and said, "Take care!"

"You!" A hand grabbed her arm as she tried to make her way through the crowd. She turned around to see an elderly man looking at her.

"You're a soul reaper, aren't you?"

Karin stood up proudly, and said, "Yes." They asked her directly, and she was there to help Soul Society be returned to order, perhaps better than it was before. She wasn't about to lie to them.

The man let her arm go, and nodded. Karin then turned to the crowd, and said, "You can spread the news. I know that you are having a hard time in this district. No supplies are getting to you under the Quincy. If you want things to change, you have to rely on yourselves. Find ways to fight back! Stay united, and we won't forget you when we take Soul Society back!"

Karin then turned and left, joining Byakuya at the edge of the crowd.

"Are you a soul reaper too?" A young man in the crowd asked Byakuya.

"Yes."

"Are you going to fight and help us against the Quincy?"

"We'll do all we can." Byakuya answered seriously. They then turned and left. And all around the 78th district, news spread of two shinigami that had helped a young woman give birth. And from that district, slowly but surely the news and rumors escalated more.

As Byakuya and Karin made their way out of the district, she turned to him and said, "You did well. No fainting or anything. I thought you were going to, for a few minutes there."

Byakuya looked at Karin's characteristic smirk, and then said, "You have no idea how many society rules that broke."

Karin laughed loudly at the statement. It was his turn to smile at her loud laughter and genial smile.

"How did you know how to do all of that? Were you trained as a midwife?" Byakuya asked. Karin shook her head.

"No, but my father ran a clinic and had to deliver a couple of babies before when the women couldn't afford to go to the hospital. I helped with those deliveries."

"You were really calm. And you saved more than one life. It's dangerous for women to have children here. Most don't have enough reiatsu to pull off the loss of energy."

Karin looked at Byakuya and said, "Thank you for helping. I thought you were going to faint." Byakuya glared at that statement.

She then asked tentatively, "By the way, the name Sojun...is quite noble. I like it a lot."

"It was my father's name." Karin stopped and looked at him, with sad eyes.

"Do you remember him at all?" Byakuya stared back at her, and then continued walking.

"A little bit. He died when I was quite young. My grandfather and the household servants raised me more than he was able to."

Karin gave him another brilliant smile, which he reluctantly returned. She then changed the subject for him.

"So, we're friends or cousins?"

"Let's say friends, because that's what we are. There is no falsehood there." Karin smiled when he admitted that they were friends. She had thought so, but since he hardly ever expressed his emotions verbally, it was nice to hear it from him.

"But, do you think people might think we're lying since we're practically living with each other?"

"Ah. I see what you mean. Then maybe it's better if we pretend that we're related."

"So, cousins?"

"I guess that's fine." Karin smiled and they walked on their way together in a companionable silence.

**END FLASHBACK**

* * *

Karin didn't currently know where they were. She just knew that she was tired. It was late at night, and they approached an inn. Since it was raining, Byakuya and Karin had their hoods on against the storm. And instead of sleeping under the stars, like they usually liked to, preferring to stay away from others, they would stay in an inn for the night.

Karin had shaken a few things up with what happened in the 78th district. The rumors had traveled faster than they had expected. They only hoped that the young couple and their child were safe, and hadn't been questioned by the Quincy. There were now more Quincy in the districts, patrolling the areas, and it was important for them to remain more anonymous than before. Byakuya was a well-known name and figure as well, so he went by the simple name Hiro instead while they were in public. Karin went by the name Yuzu, just in case her name was known from the incident.

Byakuya led Karin to a seedy looking tavern. The best places to remain undercover, were these places. They were in the 70th districts (But Karin wasn't sure which one exactly. She was really terrible with directions). These taverns were more than willing to put up a desperate lodger, for a price, and Byakuya could handle the price, most of the time.

Their funds, however, were starting to run low, and both he and Karin had discussed going to work or trading. They both had skill in healing and Byakuya had even thought of running messages or translating, reading or writing messages for people. He also realized, that being raised as a nobleman had not prepared him at all for the hardship of making his own money. He felt pathetic and useless, with Karin by his side, who seemed to have more marketable skills than he did.

They entered the tavern with their hoods still on, soaked with rain. The bartender pointed them to a corrupt looking man sitting at a table, overlooking all the gambling and drinking. He raised his eyebrows as the two sat down across from him.

"What do you need?" He asked with a grunt, "Drinks, pay the bartender. If you want to play, then you'll need to give me some money upfront."

Karin opened her mouth to answer when Byakuya grabbed her wrist which was on her lap underneath the table. He squeezed his hand against her own. Karin looked at him in surprise. He then let go of her hand and faced the man sitting across from them.

"We only need a room for the night. Two beds, for my cousin and I."

The owner focused his eyes on Karin. He smirked a little, and said, "Well, she can stay for free. But, you'll have to pay a bit." He then named the amount, which was much higher than Byakuya anticipated. They didn't have enough money.

"But, if this lovely woman would like to have a little bit of companionship tonight, then I can assure you that you're room and meals will be on the house." He ended his comment with a cackle.

Karin rolled her eyes in annoyance at the comment, while Byakuya tried to remain calm. He wasn't unaware of the fact that Karin was an attractive young woman who could definitely take care of herself, but that didn't make him any less angry when men made a pass at her. Which was more often than he cared to think about. Of course, it wasn't because he had any romantic feelings for her. Only because she was watching out for her as a friend and comrade. **  
**

At least he was starting to recognize that he was in denial.

He narrowed his eyes at the owner, and then said, "One bed."

The owner then named a slightly lesser price, and was a little bit disappointed when Byakuya was able to procure the amount needed. He sighed a little as he stood up and procured a key. He handed the key to Byakuya, and said, "Up the stairs, take a left and three doors down. You don't have to keep your, _cousin, _to yourself. We're a merry bunch. We won't bite, hard."

As Karin and Byakuya stood up to go to their room_, _he looked back at the owner to see him leering openly at Karin's body, his eyes raking up from her covered legs, to her bottom and hips. He saw Byakuya staring at him, and licked his lips and winked at him.

Karin heard what she thought was a quiet growl and almost jumped out of her own skin when she felt a gentle hand on the small of her back. She looked Byakuya, who was looking straight ahead as he guided her up the steps. She looked over her shoulder, and saw the owner of the inn, looking at them with a slight smirk on his face. Oblivious to what happened in the "manly battle of manly stares," she shrugged it off as a fluke.

Byakuya led her into the small dingy room, with only a small bed and very little floor space. Byakuya had yet to take his hand off of her back. Karin was now thoroughly confused. She stepped away from Byakuya, took her hood off, and then started to shake her hair out, pulling out the hair tie and brushing her hands through her long locks.

Byakuya reluctantly let go of Karin when they entered the room. He was distrustful of the establishment they were staying at. He looked around the room, looking for anything suspicious, checking for a madman or murderer in the corner. It was then that he noticed Karin drying out her hair. Her clothes were soaked through, clinging to every curve on her body. Her hands reached through her hair, combing her hair with her delicate fingers.

And, like so many other times in the past few months while they lived in Soul Society together, moving around, training and trying to gather information about allies, he was struck again by the woman that was his companion. She always took him by surprise. He realized that if he was seeing her in this way, he could only imagine what the men downstairs would do to her. Even though she could take care of herself, he had no intention of letting her put herself in that situation.

Karin turned when she heard a slight choke. She turned around and saw Byakuya, whom the noise must have come from. He looked quite composed though, taking off his hood. His hair was now around his ears. It was growing out more and more in the past 8 months since she had helped him escape. She couldn't believe it had been that long since she had met him. And it had now been about 4 months since she had died.

She was a little disappointed that nobody had tried to make contact with them since they had moved on to Soul Society, but she understood that they were probably busy. They had been busy as well, trying to stay hidden amongst all the citizens of Rukongai. It was hard though, since they both had high amounts of spiritual pressure. It was a miracle they had even been able to keep their zanpaktos hidden for the amount of time that they had been there. Not like they used them that often. They just stayed, hidden in their bags unless they were training.

She went to a bag and grabbed her set of dry clothes, thinking about all those things.

Byakuya roused her from her thoughts when he said, "You can take the bed."

She looked up and said, "No. It's probably full of all manner of bugs. You can have it."

"I don't think so. The bed will be more comfortable for you."

"Hmm.. no. I also don't know the last time those sheets were washed. This doesn't seem like the cleanest hotel room."

Karin realized with a flush that she had made the sheet comment aloud. Byakuya's pale cheeks were dusted with pink as well.

"I...um.. do you mind turning around?" She asked, changing the subject with a blush on her cheeks and holding up the set of dry clothes.

"Of course," Byakuya commented, and then turned around, with a hand over his closed eyes, just to be certain he could see her.

He turned around when he heard her say, "Well, I'm not really ready to go to sleep yet anyway. I'm hungry and I'll need to use the outhouse before I go to bed." She moved to leave when she felt Byakuya moving behind her.

"I'll go with you." He said quietly, reaching for the door knob and started to open the door. Karin closed it before it could open all the way though.

She turned with her back to the door and asked, point blank, "Your still soaking wet. And, I have to ask, what the hell is wrong with you today?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"What's going on with you? What's with you being all overprotective? You know I can take care of myself!"

"I never said you couldn't." Byakuya answered evasively, staring right back at her.

Karin realized that it was a typical Byakuya statement, avoiding the question.

"The hand on my back. You being all over-protective and glaring at the owner. I know he is a scumbag, but you're not acting like yourself, _cousin_."

She was seething. And she was angry at herself. Here she was, realizing that over the past four months, living in Soul Society with the man, her feelings for Byakuya, instead of going away, were only getting stronger.

And she had no idea how the man in front of her felt. She knew that he liked her as a friend, but that was all that she was positive of. She loved how protective he was of her earlier with the owner, and she even thought she saw a glint of jealousy in his eyes.

But now, she was upset. Upset with him, for possibly leading her on. And more upset with herself, for completely falling for him over the past eight months.

"Never mind, Kuchiki-sama. You win. Good night." She walked over to the bed, lying down with her back to him and the door. She ignored the raucous laughter downstairs in the tavern and her growling stomach and closed her eyes.

He knew she was angry with him. It had been a while since she had called him "Kuchiki-sama". They were so close now, it felt strange for her to call him anything else besides Byakuya. He didn't know to explain the uneasiness that he was feeling in the tavern. He also didn't know what he was feeling toward Karin.

With Hisana, he loved her the moment he saw her. He didn't get to know her well until after they were married. And even then, she was still so reserved and quiet.

His thoughts wandered to Karin while he changed into his set of dry clothes. He knew that Karin was special. He never thought that he would ever find a place in his heart for someone that wasn't Hisana. But, instead it seemed like there was someone pushing her way in there, whether he liked it or not. And truth be told, he was starting to like the feeling.

But, at the moment, with all the confusion and the war, there was no reason to act on any feelings he may be having. Plus, he wasn't sure what she felt and wasn't about to push her into anything. He would protect her though. Even if it made her upset and angry.

Byakuya sat with his back against the wall next to the door. He pulled out his zanpakto and prepared for a sleepless night as he kept watch over Karin.

* * *

A loud crash and the sounds of yelling woke Karin from the deep sleep that she had somehow managed to fall into. A tall figure stood over the side of the bed, and put his finger to her lips. She sighed in relief, seeing that it was Byakuya. He handed Karin her zanpakto and motioned for her to follow him. He opened the door quietly.

The sounds of a raid were happening. It was most likely Quincy. Their were swords slashing; tables and chairs thrown; and of course, yells, screams and swearing.

Byakuya stopped at the top of the stairs, and watched, curious to see who it was. He and Karin could probably help the owner and the others downstairs, but he was feeling a little vindictive. He wouldn't mind the owner getting beat up a little if it meant he would leave Karin alone.

It was then that Byakuya felt a somewhat familiar spiritual pressure. One that he hadn't felt in about six years and was vaguely familiar.

Maniacal laughter filled the air. There was a soft, prissy voice that answered in response. Byakuya recognized both the reaitsus and their voices. He looked at Karin, and sheathed his zanpakto. He then headed confidentally downstairs.

At the bottom of the stairs was a huge wreckage. Bodies laid strewn around and passed out. The tavern owner was yelling in pain as he had lost his arm in the fight.

"Ah, shut up, you wuss! That's what you get for trying to swindle us out of our money!" The bald man said, pointing his katana at the sobbing owner.

"Ikkaku, you went a little overboard." The prissy sounding, feminine looking guy said. He was staring at the bald guy, looking bored when he noticed Byakuya and Karin in the shadows.

"We have more visitors. Looks like they got curious." Yumichika stated to Ikkaku as he looked over at the new party.

"You should have stayed upstairs." Ikkaku said, with a crazy grin on his face. "You can't remember seeing our faces."

Karin tensed in anticipation, reaching for her zanpakto. Byakuya stayed her hand, and said, "Madarame. We don't want to fight."

Ikkaku looked startled as he stared into the shadows. Byakuya stepped out, and pulled off his hood that he had put on before they left, in case they met enemies.

"Huh. Boss will be interested to hear this. Word was you were dead, killed in combat."

"False rumors. How many left from your division?" Byakuya waved away the comment, like it was no big deal.

"Us, the lieutenant and the captain."

"Ahem." Karin coughed, looking between the three men while she stepped out of the shadows.

"What a beauty." Yumichika said, looking at Karin, "But of course, not as beautiful as I." He then flicked his hair back as Ikkaku just rolled his eyes. Karin looked at him like he was insane and then looked at Byakuya who was staring at Ikkaku.

"This is Karin." Byakuya said, then continued his conversation with Ikkaku, "You tore up this place because...?" He asked with an almost stern look on his face, as though he were disciplining disobedient children.

"The owner is a fraud, he tried swindling us out of our money. We won the game, fair and square. He's also a notorious loan shark. Not many people will be angry that he lost an arm." Ikkaku grinned maliciously at the last statement. The owner looked in between the four people standing in front of him. He looked at Karin specifically.

"Please, young lady. Help me." He begged, looking at Karin imploringly.

Karin raised her eyes at the statement.

"Why would I want to help you? You wanted to pimp me out." Karin answered, flipping her hair into her hair tie, since it was still down from sleeping.

She then turned to the three men that were watching her answer. Ikkaku and Yumichika looked on curiously while Byakuya just stared stonily at the owner. She then turned to the men with a smile.

"So, should we move this conversation somewhere else?"

"Yeah. It was a boring fight anyway." Ikkaku answered, and the proceeded to use his sheathed zanpakto to knock out the man.

* * *

The group of four moved toward a clearing in the forest. A light could be seen ahead in the clearing, most likely coming from a fire. Ikkaku and Yumichika didn't seem too worried about attracting unwanted visitors, with all the noise that they made in the forest. Karin and Byakuya were a bit lighter on their feet.

They made their way through the trees, and were suddenly startled by a bright light in the dark of midnight.

"Where were you two?" A gruff voice sounded. Karin blinked her eyes a few times to try and clear her vision by the sudden, bright light. She saw a large fire, and sitting just five feet away from her, one of the largest and most intimidating men she had ever seen. With his hair in spikes, and round, metal beads on the edge of each one, large muscles, tall stature and a face that would make his own momma cry, he was by far one of the scariest things she had ever encountered before.

She involuntarily took a step back and a twig snapped. His eyes turned to the woman. He looked her up and down, and then asked, "Who's the broad?"

Byakuya stepped out of the forest shadows at that moment and answered, "She's with me."

The scary looking man and Byakuya stared at each other, with the light of the fir casting shadows all around them.

"Well. This is a surprise. The pretty boy bastard is alive. I should have figured you wouldn't have died that easily." There was grudging respect, also with dislike etched on the intimidating face.

To Karin's surprise, the same look graced Byakuya's features as well. He responded, "Are you really that ill-informed that you think I'm the one that's a bastard? It's no surprise you had the wrong knowledge. Your as idiotic as you were before." Karin, once again, was surprised. There was contempt in Byakuya's voice, but almost a teasing undertone.

To Karin's surprise, the tall man threw his head back and barked in laughter.

"Well, Kuchiki. It's good to see you haven't changed much, you prissy ass."

Karin saw Byakuya give a slight smirk, and open his mouth. When all of a sudden, a pink ball threw itself at him. Or at least it looked like a pink ball...

"BYAKUSHI!" It screamed as it seemed to attach itself permanently to his neck. He tried pulling the arms off. Karin then saw that it wasn't a ball, but a girl. Probably around 12-13 years old.

"You're alive Byakushi! Do you have any candy for me?" Byakuya just stared at her stonily.

Karin couldn't help it. She just pointed at Byakuya and started laughing.

"Byakushi?" She asked, doubling over in fits of laughter. Byakuya glared at Karin. He was never going to live this down.

The tall, intimidating man looked at Karin in interest. Ikkaku and Yumichika sat down around the fire, and also looked at Karin.

"So, what's your story?" Karin looked at them, and then looked at Byakuya. He was still trying to pry his fan girl off of his body. He saw her looking and nodded at her. Apparently, these were people that she could trust. She had figured as much.

"I'm Karin Kurosaki. And..."

"Wait?" All four voices of these new acquaintances said. Then the spiky haired man asked, "Are you related to Ichigo?"

"He's my older brother."

"Oh hell yeah. Can you fight like him?" Ikkaku asked enthusiastically.

"No." It was Byakuya who answered the question that time. He then explained. "She's a different type of fighter than her brother. Not so much brute strength, but smarter. You probably wouldn't be interested."

Karin scowled at his answer. He made her sound weak!

The spiky haired continued to look at her with interest, and then the pink-haired girl asked, "But, if you're Ichi's sissy, then why are you here? Shouldn't you be in the world of the living?"

Karin blinked at the smaller girl. Did she really just say sissy? She sighed and decided to tell them everything, hoping that they wouldn't turn her in when they found out her true identity.

"Have you guys heard of the Masked Lily?" She asked tentatively.

"Yes. But I thought it was only a rumor." Yumichika answered, once again flipping his pretty hair back. Karin was kind of jealous of how he kept his hair so nice, but then she realized she shouldn't be jealous of something that lame.

"I'm her. I was killed by Quincy about 4 months ago. We've been traveling in Rukongai since then."

"How do you know Kuchiki?" Scary Guy (Karin's name for the guy, since he hadn't bothered to introduce himself), asked, pointing to Byakuya.

"I was taken as a prisoner of war due to my noble status. She rescued myself, along with a few others from the Sternritter." Byakuya answered nonchalantly.

"Well, what are you doing in Rukongai?" Karin asked the four people she had just met, trying to change the subject from Byakuya's imprisonment.

All eyes focused on her. "We're just fighting and enjoying ourselves. Waiting for trouble to come." The scary guy answered while the rest of his comrades nodded in agreement.

"Fighting?" Karin asked, she was beginning to get a picture of who this guy was. She had heard about him before, she was sure.

"Are you Kenpachi Zaraki?" She asked, point blank.

A feral grin spread on his face. "That's right girly. You want to fight?"

"No." Karin answered, "But my brother told me that if I ever ran into you, that he wants to fight you again. And he doesn't want you to hold back." She said this lie with a completely straight face. Ichigo would be so mad if he found out that she had told this blood thirsty maniac that he wanted to fight.

Zaraki smirked, and nodded his head. "I always enjoy fighting Ichigo. The kid has guts. I knew he liked it too, deep down."

"Yep. All guts and brawn, no brains. He must get along great with you guys."

Byakuya smirked at Karin's comment while Zaraki full out laughed. "I like you. You have guts too, in order to talk to me like that."

"Thanks. But, I'm just curious if it was worth our time coming out here to meet you." Karin said, as directly as she could. As much fun as this was, meeting a few allies, she kind of just wanted to be back in Byakuya's company. How sad was that. She was a desperate woman. And she was kind of jealous of the pink haired fan girl who was practically sitting in Byakuya's lap.

"I agree," Byakuya said, catching on Karin's line of thinking, "Even with all these pleasantries, I'm not sure if you have any information that would be useful to us."

"You want information? We don't know much." Kenpachi said, scratching his head.

"Big surprise," Byakuya muttered under his breath.

Zaraki narrowed his eyes, and then said, "Alright, sissy boy. The Shibas are who you want to talk to."

"The Shiba clan?"

"Yeah. Still outside district 1. Can't miss the house. Also, the largest warehouse that supplies the Quincy and Sternritter with armor and weapons is in that district." Byakuya nodded and then turned, and started walking away from the campfire.

Karin turned to follow Byakuya's lead, when a voice stopped her.

"If you get bored with that sissy bastard, you can come with us." Zaraki said, "I have a feeling your more like your brother than you say."

Karin just looked at him, shook her head, and hurried to catch up with Byakuya.

"What was that all about?" Karin asked. "You knew Zaraki before, right?"

"Yes. He's an idiot, but a decent soul reaper, especially for a commoner."

Karin narrowed her eyes at him. "You know, you really need to get over yourself."

She asked curiously, "Who are the Shibas?"

"They're a fallen noble family. Different. She'll remind you of Yoruichi."

"And that information about the warehouse. What was that about?"

Byakuya just kept walking. He then glanced at Karin and asked, "Ready to, in your own words, "cause trouble." Karin smiled at him and nodded in understanding. She decided to let the argument that they were having earlier go. It wasn't time for her to let her emotions run wild. She had a job to do after all. It was time to start taking more action. She replied to him earnestly.

"Ready when you are."

To be continued

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTE  
**

**Okay, so this chapter is kind of all over the place, but I just wanted to highlight somethings that Karin was probably thinking and experiencing during her few months in Soul Society. She was more used to modern technology than she realized.  
**

**Also the names Rin and Souta come from one of my favorite anime INUYASHA. And Hiro, is Hiro Mashima who writes one of my favorite manga FAIRY TAIL.**

**I wanted to include a scene where Karin's medical experience is handy. I have always been curious about the birth process in Soul Society, since Byakuya, Yoruichi and other nobles are technically born to their family. So, there you go.  
**

**And, they had to meet Zaraki and crew sometime. I just can't see these guys going down easily against the Quincy. They'll be coming back. Until next time!  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Once again, I don't own Bleach **

**Chapter 7-Undercover or when Byakuya finds out Karin sucks at strategy  
**

Karin and Byakuya looked out from behind the bush where they were currently hiding. It was about a week since they seen Zaraki and his crew, and they had finally made it to District 1. Things in District 1 were a lot different than they were in the other districts. First of all, it seemed the closer and closer they got to Seireitei, the Quincy patrols gradually grew more and more. It was around District 20 that they spotted the first Quincy.

Along with more patrols, the standard of living for the souls in the districts seemed to improve enormously. They looked better fed, with clothes that weren't so threadbare and torn as in the other districts; They also looked cleaner and the morale seemed higher in the districts.

They had come across a few people that were not happy with the Quincy, but for the most part, these districts hadn't changed much since the Quincy took over. There was just more of a military presence, with Quincy walking boldly through the streets, armed with bows and swords.

Karin and Byakuya had to stay under the radar. Rumors were running wild of a possible revolution in the lower districts. Souls, arming themselves as much as they could and starting to march toward the higher districts and Seireitei. Byakuya and Karin had kept their eyes out for these so called "rebels" but hadn't made contact with any of them. They only hoped that Zaraki and his team had found them already and offered their help. But then they realized they were talking about Kenpachi Zaraki. He would probably want to fight each and every one of them to see if they could challenge him. And then Ikkaku would want to do it after.

So, after a week of subterfuge and running through the wilderness, avoiding as many Quincy patrols and villages as possible, they stood just outside district 1. There were supplies were extremely low. They had eaten the remainder of their food that evening for dinner, since they were planning on trying to find the Shibas within the next day or two. They were all out of money as well.

Karin looked at Byakuya. She had her hair down. With her dark hair, that was now longer than it had ever been before when she was alive, her face could be hidden in the dark locks, if need be. She still wore the hood over her head.

Byakuya stared back at her. He had his hood on as well, which was needed since he didn't have nice long hair anymore and the fact that he was a well-known face in this part of Rukongai. And his face was plastered all over Rukongai on wanted posters. The reward for his arrest was getting larger and larger, so, it seemed to them, they were getting desperate to find him.

The only thing that he was able to do in order to hide some of his facial features was to grow out his facial hair. And so far, in only a week, he just had thin, dark hair, a heavier "five o'clock shadow" that most men grew within a day. Karin teased him about how little his facial hair was growing, saying that Toshiro could probably have a darker and thicker beard in a week. The comment about Hitsugay irked him. He just glared at her, and told her that he felt like a "thief, commoner, ruffian" with his facial hair grown out.

Apparently, most nobleman shaved. And Karin had to admit she liked the routine of watching him out of the corner of her eye as Byakuya use a little water and a razor from the living world to shave. And she also had to admit, although she preferred him clean-shaven, there was something inherently masculine about a man with facial hair.

There were no more reward posters for "The Masked Lily", which both Karin and Byakuya were relieved to see as well. She was on strict orders from him that she was to flee if he was captured, especially since she was no longer wanted by the Quincy. She rolled her eyes and agreed, but they both knew that she way lying. They were too deep in this together, for either one of them to willingly leave each other.

"Are you ready?" Byakuya asked curiously, looking over at Karin. She moved the hair out of her eyes.

"I think so." Karin fiddled with her long hair, "I just wish I could pull my hair up. This is getting annoying."

Byakuya stared at Karin seriously. "And my beard itches. Stop complaining."

"What beard?" Karin quipped right back at him. She then smiled. And looked at the building a little more intently. They were at the largest storage facility for the Quincy armor and supplies. Most Quincy manipulated their reiatsu into the weapons of their own choosing. The Sternritter had even more abilities than that. But, the majority of the Quincy soldiers that patrolled the Rukongai districts used regular weapons and armor.

It was this warehouse, where Byakuya and Karin planned to make their first offensive strike.

Of course, they weren't sure how they were going to get inside, let alone how to blow it up. Neither of them had any weapons besides the zanpaktos in their bags, which would be enough in most situations, but unfortunately, they weren't sure how it would help destroy a building.

Both Karin and Byakuya had been training as hard as they could, and they were both confident with their abilities. They also felt much more confident after meeting with Zaraki. They felt the time to begin their assault on the Quincy was at the moment.

"How many have you seen?" Karin asked, motioning at the front of the building.

"I only see a couple that have gone inside. They must be confident. They're not guarding the door consistently."

"It should be pretty easy to get in, then?" Karin asked. Byakuya looked over at the building. He was trying to pinpoint more Quincy by sensing their reiatsu. But, people could always hide their reiatsu well enough, if they had enough control. He and Karin were examples of that themselves.

"You stay here. I'll motion for you to come over once I make sure everything is clear." He stood up slowly looking around. He was startled when he felt Karin's hand grab his wrist. She looked up at him, with her gray eyes wide. She looked worried.

"Be careful." She then stared straight ahead. He looked back at her and nodded, then took off quickly, stepping silently into the open as he headed toward the building.

Her heart was pounding in fear when he left, watching him, and worrying about him. She would never willing leave him behind to be captured. He had to know that. She watched him quietly as he circled the building. He then stopped suddenly, and blended into the shadows of the building. He was invisible to everyone, except Karin who could see the outline of his body standing tensely against the wall.

A small group of Quincy passed by. In the middle of the group was a young woman, who wore all white, including a white cap and a mini skirt. She had dark hair and was quite petite. The other Quincy were speaking with her in quiet tones, quite respectfully. Karin made a simple conclusion. The young woman, who looked to be around the same age as Karin, was most likely a Sternritter captain.

It looked like this could be a little more difficult than either of them anticipated.

Karin stared at Byakuya intently, praying that they wouldn't see Byakuya. The group of Quincy turned toward the door, opened it and headed through. The woman stopped, hesitated almost before going in. She looked both ways curiously and then entered the building.

Byakuya stole away from the shadows quickly back to where Karin was sitting.

"Do you think they could sense us?" Karin asked quietly as Byakuya sat back down with her, looking at the building.

"I'm not sure." Byakuya answered honestly. He was trying to decide whether the two of them could take on a Sternritter and all the Quincy. And, he decided, if they were smart, they could definitely do it. However, he was concerned that the woman, who he had recognized as Bambietta, one of his interrogators at one point during his captivity, had seen him or sensed him. If that was the case, it could be a trap they were walking into.

Karin continued to look at his curiously, wondering what he was going to decide to do. He had more experience in strategy and such, so, it made sense for him to take the lead.

"She may set a trap," Byakuya told Karin. He didn't mention anything else that he had been thinking. He wanted her to be completely on board with what they were going to do. It wouldn't be horrible if they decided to wait a day. But, if they could take out a general of the Quincy army at the same time as the warehouse, then that would be only be an added bonus.

Karin was thinking about the situation. It was almost foolhardy to go in there with one of the best Vandenreich generals in there. It was a gamble, but the payoff would be excellent if they managed to pull it off.

"Do we even know what the layout of the building is?" Karin asked, thinking to herself about the warehouse.

"No. I think we should at least gather intelligence tonight, even if we don't take action."

Karin sighed. Maybe they should have gone to see the Shibas first. Oh well. Too late now. They would go find the Shibas after this plan was accomplished. She didn't know how much they would be able to help anyway. It was really an ideal mission for a small team, and she and Byakuya worked pretty well together.

She looked at Byakuya and nodded her approval. "Okay. Let's do it."

"Alright." Byakuya had his hand on his mouth, with his fingers tracing over his lips like he was thinking. Karin couldn't stop staring at the motion. She had never really been into thinking about men in a sexual way, but the little things about Byakuya right now just turned her on. And the funny thing, is she had never had sex before. So how was that supposed to work?

She tore her eyes away from his mouth as he started talking, "A couple of ground rules. One, you will run if I get caught. It will not do for both of us to be caught and I have been a prisoner before. I'm the one they'll want. No need for both of us to be imprisoned. Go to find the Shibas."

Karin gave a noise of protest and glared at him. "I don't think so."

"I will go without you if you don't agree with me."

"I'll follow you in there."

"Karin," Byakuya said softly, "You don't know what they'd do to you in prison."

"And they'd execute you without giving me a chance to find you again." Karin retorted.

They stared at each other thoughtfully, almost as if communicating non verbally with each other. Then Byakuya's face hardened. He was going to have to piss her off.

"I told you before, being a soul reaper means following orders. It's not an option, Karin."

"So you're ordering me to?"

"If you want to come with me, than yes. And I would prefer to have you by my side." Byakuya answered her.

"Just so I can leave you behind if we get caught? Sound smart." Karin responded. Byakuya ignored her. He didn't know if he would ever win against her. She was so stubborn.

"And, second, I want us to stay together. It wouldn't do us any good to be separated. We have a better chance of succeeding if we're together."

Karin nodded at Byakuya. "I will fully agree with that one. And I only partially agree with the first stipulation."

Byakuya nodded at response. "Then let's go."

* * *

They had encountered no problems early on. The warehouse was only two stories tall, but it was still large. The bottom floor was where all the armor was kept. It was eerie seeing so much white in a dark building. There weren't near as many swords as they believed would be there. It was quiet, and based on the look that Byakuya gave Karin as she glanced at him silently, he agreed with her.

There was probably a trap. Karin decided right then and there, they would spring the trap. She was smarter than her brother, but she like the other Kurosakis, was reckless. Determined and with a strategy (if a strategy just meant barging in on the Quincy), she moved forward quickly. She motioned for Byakuya to follow her. She found the set of stairs ahead of Byakuya, gestured to him once again, and took off up the stairs before he could stop her.

She listened at the door as he caught up to her. He stepped next to her, and looking at her questioningly, accusingly. He didn't seem very happy that she had just taken off. She ignored the look on his face and put her finger up to her lips, saying, "Shh." They both looked at each other. The voices disappeared as more walking was heard. All of a sudden a voice was heard right next to the door.

Karin was in a panic. She wasn't expecting them to use the staircase so soon. Damn her recklessness! She should have thought of some other place to hide if they decided to come that way. She looked at Byakuya, who had a hand on the hilt of his sword.

And she came to a split decision. As the door knob began turning, she pushed Byakuya into the corner on the landing, in the shadows, and as a quincy stepped through the door, onto the staircase, she acted on instinct.

She threw herself at Byakuya, who caught her, startled, and she then attacked him.

Well, more like she kissed him.

Her lips caught his in surprise. All that she was thinking is that she had to keep him hidden. In the shadows, with her face attached to his, she could possibly pull it off. Her left hand was on his cheek, hiding the only real visible part of his face, while the other one was awkwardly on his shoulder.

He was in shock. He had no idea what was going on, but he found himself responding to her kiss.

She was surprised when she felt his lips pressing back against hers, his hands finding their way to her waist, right above her hips. One hand moved to the small of her back and moved her closer to him. She squeaked in surprise, at the more physical movement. And when she squeaked, he used the moment to push his mouth closer to hers, catching her lips with his tongue, trying to intensify the kiss.

Her mind was a complete blur. She was thinking so many things at the moment. While Byakuya, was well, thinking like a guy and acting purely on instinct. The kiss would have intensified further, except there was a cough heard behind them in the hallway and then a comment that made Karin blush, "Damn. They need to get a room and get it on already." Loud, masculine guffaws were heard at the comment.

Karin sprang apart from Byakuya, but kept her hand on his cheek. She looked at the guards, and decided, of course, to lie. This had been part of her "impromptu kissing plan" when she had decided to practically rape Byakuya.

"Oh my gosh!" Karin giggled. "This is so embarrassing! I thought this building was abandoned."

There were three Quincy guards who curiously looked at her and then looked at each other before one of them responded.

"This building has been occupied for almost seven years now." He said it slowly, talking to her as if she was a little slow.

"Has it? I didn't know. My boyfriend and I," she said, tugging on Byakuya's arm, "we ran away from district 5. My parents didn't approve of him. We don't have anywhere to stay, or any food. We just decided to take shelter here for the night. I'm sorry. We'll leave. We promise! Please forgive us!"

"Taking shelter, on the staircase?" Another of the Quincy added.

Karin laughed girlishly, trying her best to act innocent and pull off the lie she was giving them. They had enough of a show to believe that she and Byakuya were involved. Now she just had to get them to take the bait.

"No, silly." She put her hand on the lead Quincy's arm and said, while twirling a piece of long hair, "We just got distracted, of course."

"You probably should have listened to your parents, Miss. He looks like trouble. Taking advantage of a young woman like yourself." He nodded his chin Byakuya's direction.

Byakuya remained quiet. His instincts were now quiet and his mind was flashing with a million questions. He knew why she kissed him now. It was an excellent plan, but it would have been nice to have come up with another plan just in case. This one was a little too personal. And maybe he could have been more prepared even if they had to fall back on this one. Then, maybe he wouldn't have gotten so carried away.

Instead, he didn't process anything except that a woman that he had come to care for quite a bit was kissing him. And, plain and simple, he wanted to kiss her back. While he may have been more complicated or had more sense than most men, he was still a man.

His eyes flashed dangerously at the comment about him "looking like trouble." He could hardly hold back his scoff. If only they had known that the real trouble maker was the young woman that was currently trying to get them out of the mess they were in. He didn't know why she raced up the stairs anyway. Maybe she was just being her usual impatient self. The move was so much like Ichigo, it was incredible. He could definitely see them as being siblings with that move. He looked back at the quincy, and Karin, wondering what her next plan of action would be.

"Oh. I don't think so. You see," she said, tracing her finger on the lead Quincy's arm, "I'm the one that's trouble." She then proceeded to knock him out by pulling his arm down roughly, and hitting the pressure point on the back of his neck. Then Byakuya watched as did the same with the other two before they even realized what was happening.

He looked at her. The only thing that he could think about was the kiss. And how much seeing her take out three armed men on her own really turned him on. He had to get his mind out of the gutter if they were going to get out of here alive.

He cleared his throat, and she looked up at him, with a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Uh..." she started to say, wondering if she should apologize or not for attacking him with that kiss. Instead, Byakuya held up a hand.

"If there's a next time, a little warning beforehand?"

Karin laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, I guess I owe you that. You played along well."

Byakuya almost laughed aloud. If only she knew that he had no idea of "the plan" and she just wanted to kiss him while they were on a mission to destroy this building. To say he felt completely blindsided and stupid, was an understatement.

"Let's move along, shall we?" She asked as she moved toward the door. Byakuya put his hand up to stop her.

"I'll go first." He insisted as she stepped aside. Byakuya opened up the door, and entered what looked like a hallway. The second floor was a definitely different set up than the first floor.

The first floor was set up like a factory, only in one large room. No doors or adjacent rooms. The second floor had a large, square room in the middle. Along the walls were more doors, and windows. The floor was quiet, but both Karin and Byakuya had an uneasy feeling.

They decided to check the large room in the middle first. There would be no sense in trying subterfuge if they felt that there was a trap in the first place.

They entered the room. Inside the room was a surprise. Just when they thought there were no weapons (just armor and uniforms like they had seen downstairs), they also found out that they were wrong.

Inside the room were swords, bows, arrows and spears. There was also barrels of dynamite and other explosives. Karin walked around, slowly, taking in the state of the room. She glanced over at Byakuya, who was tensely eying the room, trying to see through the shadows.

He had been tense since their encounter on the staircase, and she figured she had messed up pretty badly with what happened. She really didn't care all that much though, since she was trying to make sure they couldn't recognize him. And, well, she enjoyed the kiss. He was so stuffy sometimes anyway, he could really use some action to loosen up.

He glanced over at her. She looked around more and whispered as he came closer, "Everything we need to destroy this building is here. They're pretty arrogant."

A door opened before they could hide in the shadows. In between taking in everything in the room, and both of them being distracted by what had happened only ten minutes earlier on the staircase landing, they were taken aback by the appearance of a young woman wearing all white, in a mini skirt and white cap. They had almost forgotten she had already entered the building.

She smiled as she looked at Byakuya and Karin. They were caught red-handed.

"Oh goody. Look who I found!" She said in a happy, sweet voice. A couple of other Quincy soldiers came in behind her, with their swords and bows pointed at them.

Karin looked over at Byakuya. Byakuya stared stonily at the woman in front of him. While they did have their zanpaktos on them, Karin and Byakuya were outnumbered badly. They would have to find another way to get out of here, besides brute strength.

"Is that you, Byakuya-kun? I hardly recognized you. You've certainly got your handsome features back, haven't you?" She walked over to Byakuya who continued to stare at her. If only looks could kill, she would have been dead already.

"Don't you miss the fun we used to have?" The Quincy soldiers moved closer to Byakuya, focusing their weapons solely on him as the woman drew closer. She circled him, looking him up and down, and putting a hand on his shoulder. He visibly tensed at the contact, but continued to glare at her defiantly.

"I remember that look well enough. You never seemed to enjoy our encounters often, did you? It's been too long. Won't you say hi?"

Karin was angry at the woman. She knew that this girl was probably one of Byakuya's tormentors when he was imprisoned. She practically growled at the girl when she touched his shoulder. Karin really was quite protective of Byakuya, ever since she had rescued him all those months ago. She never wanted anyone to have to suffer like that, and to see him, and what he had told her he had endured during his time as a prisoner of war, only made her respect him even more.

For a long time, her only reason for helping in the war effort was to help bring about balance again. But now, after knowing Byakuya for as long as she had, and developing feelings for him (although she had no idea how shallow or deep those feelings were), she knew one thing: She wanted to protect him. She wanted to support him. She wanted to stay by his side. Their friendship was great. They balanced each other out. And she wasn't afraid to say that if they were separated right now, she wouldn't know what to do. The truth was, they were better together than they were on their own.

That's how Karin found herself saying, "Get your hands off of him, you bitch." She glared at the young woman.

"You have a friend, Byakuya-kun? She's cute. I'm Bambietta. What's your name?"

Karin just glared at the young woman, and stared around at the Quincy reinforcements. She noticed that there were a couple of bruised young men in their presence. The same soldiers that she had taken out. Too bad they didn't stay knocked out for so long.

"You don't want to talk either, huh?" Bambietta said, her voiced hardening. She then turned to the head Quincy soldier that Karin had spoken with and attacked first on the stairs.

"Which one attacked you?" She asked softly. The young man flinched visibly, at the sound of her voice. She was obviously well respected, and to them, quite frightening.

The man pointed to Karin, "She was the one doing all the talking. She touched my arm, and then, I don't remember anything."

"Do you two remember seeing anything at all before you were knocked out?"

The other two men shook their heads, saying no.

"Huh. Well, it sounds like you're pretty fast then. And, I see a zanpakto by you. But, I don't have any physical descriptions of a soul reaper that looks quite like you do. Won't you tell me who you are and why you're here with Byakuya-kun?"

"No." Karin said, defiantly glaring at her. Byakuya looked over at Karin with a different look in his eyes. They looked almost frightened.

Bambietta stepped around Byakuya and was right in front of Karin's face. She grabbed Karin's arm roughly and marched her about three feet away from everyone else and threw her on the ground. Karin was completely caught off guard with how strong she was.

"Did you know that most of us Sternritter have a specific letter designated to us? That letter is the first letter of our specialty power. For example, dear As Nodt, who I heard you killed, Byakuya-kun, was designated "F" and his power dealt with fear. My letter is "E". Do you know what that stands for?"

"Don't know. And I really could care less." Karin answered. She was hit immediately with what felt like a million shocks to her body. She had no idea what was going on, but the pricks against her skin were becoming unbearable. Somehow, she realized, that the shocks were gone, and she had, inexplicably fallen to the ground and was on all fours. Her hair smelled slightly smoky, and she noticed that it was frayed on the edges. She was panting slightly, trying to catch her breath. She took her time to lift her head, and saw Byakuya with a fierce look on his face. But he wasn't looking at Karin. No, he was looking at the horrible Sternritter woman.

Bambietta pouted and looked at Karin. She then spun around and looked at Byakuya. She had one hand on her hip and the other was pointing at Karin.

"She didn't scream! You know what that means, Byakuya. Tell her to scream. I love hearing the screams." Byakuya stared right back at Bambietta.

Bambietta then turned heel and took a few steps back to Karin. Karin was still on the ground, trying to regain the feeling in her body. She wasn't exactly sure what had happened, but he knew she would be a fool to underestimate this woman again. Bambietta crouched down next to Karin and jerked her face up to Bambietta.

"Tell me your name. I'll do this until you tell me. I hate it when people make a fool out of me."

Karin let out a breath that sounded like a chortle. "Well. That must not be that hard."

The same feeling of pain, burning, shocks hit Karin in a torrent. This time she didn't try to analyze the pain or where it was coming from. This time, she just let out a scream.

Byakuya started moving around fiercely, trying to get out of the choke hold the one soldier had him in. They were heavily armed, and unfortunately, Sebonzakura was on the ground, as he was disarmed earlier when they came in. Although he could probably disengage all of the Quincy soldiers, Bambietta was too close to Karin.

She wouldn't hesitate to kill her. It was obvious that Byakuya was still wanted alive, most likely for a public execution. It seemed like Byakuya only had a few choices: Continue to watch Karin get tortured; Fight off the men and risk Karin getting held hostage, and most likely killed by Bambietta; or Tell Bambietta Karin's name so she would seize with electrocuting her.

It didn't take long for Byakuya to come to a decision while he was watching Bambietta torture Karin. He knew full well what the woman, Bambietta, was capable of. Whether they survived this night or not, there would be hell to pay. There was no use trying to hide their identities now. At this point, all he really wanted to do was ensure that they would survive.

Bambietta let up on the flow of her electric energy. This time Karin was on the ground, completely laying down and panting, trying to regain her breathing.

Bambietta looked over at her. "Good girl. You screamed that time. Nice and loud too. You know, I had fun with Byakuya this way too, but he didn't make too much noise." Karin roused herself, and tried to sit up. She was so completely weak. Somehow, even though she was weak, a thought, a plan came into her mind. It was almost as Kaiyo Choseki was speaking to her.

The advice was "Watch and learn."

"Will you tell me your name now?" Bambietta asked, with a sweet smile on her face. What a sadistic bitch, Karin thought to herself.

"Karin Kurosaki." A male voice said. It was the only thing that he had said that night in the presence of the Sternritter and Quincy. Bambietta looked over at Byakuya.

"Oh. Poor Byakuya-kun didn't like watching did he?" She taunted as she looked over at Karin, "So this is Karin Kurosaki, also known as "The Masked Lily". You let out Byakuya-kun over there and took up with him, huh?"

Karin was having a hard time concentrating. The only thing that came to her mind was, "You're like a Sith Lord. I have to admit, that's pretty bad ass."

This time both Byakuya and Bambietta stared at her in confusion. Bambietta then looked at Byakuya.

"What's a Sith Lord?" She asked Byakuya curiously who just shrugged his shoulders in confusion as well. He was used to Karin spouting out nonsense that he had never heard of before.

Karin wanted to explain, but realized she really didn't have the brain power right now. Probably because she was literally being fried. Karin had watched _Star Wars_ growing up with her geeky soccer friends who loved the movies. Karin only started liking them when she saw how cute the guy that turned in the Darth Vader was. Then she paid more attention.

"I guess neither of you would get that. They're these evil lords that use this power, and one of the things that they can do is make lightning with their fingers." Karin then proceeded to wiggle the fingers of both her hands at them. Byakuya, almost smiled at the antics. He shook his head as he looked at her, thankful that though she seemed a little out of it, she was overall still in good health. He wasn't sure how long that would last though.

He caught Karin's eye. She stared back at him, intently, when suddenly Bambietta's voice was right by her. She had her hand on Karin's shoulder, and was crouching right next to her.

"Well. It seems like I may have found some leverage against Byakuya-kun. What is your relationship with him Karin?"

"What do you think it is?" Karin asked, deciding to try and play along with Bambietta's nonchalance. Karin was getting so tired, she had to try and distract Bambietta for as long as she could.

Bambietta was still talking. "I think, that you're his little whore." A disgruntled noise was heard from Byakuya. Bambietta smiled at the noise. "Oh. He's overprotective of you, isn't he?"

Karin, who didn't usually like being accussed of being "a lady of the night" had an issue with the statement. She decided to use it to her advantage though.

"I hate that word." Karin said, "Why is it wrong for a young woman to be in a sexual relationship? If a girl sleeps with a guy that isn't her husband, she's a slut or whore. And, the guy, what is he called? A player? Seriously, it drives me crazy. I mean, isn't it normal for women to have a healthy sexual appetite."

Karin was looking at Bambietta, but out of the corner of her eye, she could see Byakuya's face. And she wished she could take a picture. His mouth was open, his cheeks were tinged pink and his eyes were wide. She was pretty sure that she had completely corrupted and traumatized him. She almost laughed at the thought.

Bambietta was still staring at Karin, with wide eyes, and then pointed her finger and said, "Oh my God. I feel the same way. I get judged all the time because I sleep around. I just don't want to commit right now, you know? We're in the middle of a war and everything."

Karin looked at her in fake sympathy, while thinking 'whose the whore now?' Out of the corner of her eye, she now saw the shocked expressions on the Quincy soldiers and Byakuya had regained his composure. "It seriously sucks. Guys think they're these awesome pimps, when half the time, we're faking it."

Bambietta joined her in girlishly laughing. "Oh Karin. It's really too bad that we're on the opposite sides of this war. I wish that his majesty had tried a little harder to convert you and wasn't so stuck on looks."

Karin looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Bambietta looked surprised. "You mean you didn't know? Well, someone should tell you before I kill you. You're half Quincy. Your mom was a Quincy, a full blooded one too. But, Bach has a huge grudge against Shinigami, and since you take after your dad's family in looks, he didn't even want to try and convert you."

Karin looked at her, taking in all the information. "Seriously?"

Bambietta nodded her head. "I really wish that we could get to know each other, better. We could have been friends." She stopped to think, and Karin, for a couple seconds, almost thought that she would let them go. "Oh well might as well get this over with."

It was then that Byakuya decided to make his move. He elbowed the man, whose grip had slackened while watching Karin and Bambietta's conversation, right in the nose. He then ducked underneath the attack of another Quincy, grabbed Sebonzakura and Kaiyo Choseki, and took off. He used his skill in shunpo, specifically the Senka, to completely take out the rest of the Quincy guards.

A scream filled the air as he turned and saw Karin, once again being electrocuted by Bambietta. Byakuya started to move forward when he saw Karin try and lift her head. It was small, but their was a slight nod of her chin, pointing in the direction of the explosives. He understood immediately what she meant.

Karin was in front of a door. Bambietta stood in front of her, and to the right of Bambietta was the explosives. Byakuya stood tensely, ready to go. They would only have seconds to get out of the door and then a window to escape the building completely.

Karin let out a scream in pain, while Bambietta just laughed. She then stopped with the sparks, and said, "Well, maybe we should get this over with quick, but since Byakuya took out all my men, he needs to pay. And I think it will be more meaningful if he just watched me do this to you, over and over again."

Karin braced herself, lifting her face to look at Bambietta. It was time to take this witch out.

She thought she had heard Kaiyo Choseki's voice in her mind. The advice her zanpakto had was "Watch and learn."

And so, the second and then third time, that Bambietta tortured heard she watched. It was almost like she could hear a slight click, and a tiny spark and then the "force lightning" would come at her (seriously? Yuzu and Ichigo would get it). It was only a split second, but Karin believed that if she was fast enough, and she could get her caught off guard in that split second, they had a chance of blowing this joint, and hopefully getting out of there too.

Somehow Karin had the strength to stand as she watched Bambietta raise her fingers, and she heard it, and there it was, a quick spark. With all the strength that she had, Karin attacked her. It wasn't a kido, hoho, or hakuda move. No, it was a physical move that she had used playing soccer with the boys growing up. It was a good old fashioned hip check. And Karin, using all the strength that she could, hip checked Bambietta into the pile of explosives.

And it didn't take long for that spark to light up. Fortunately for Karin, who was almost completely out of it after that bad ass hip check (her words), she had backup. She felt a strong hand on her elbow, pushing and pulling her along with his shunpo, and then, a jolt was felt through the building. It looked like that line of dynamite had finally lit up all the way.

Byakuya pushed Karin out the window, and then followed quickly, just as the second floor completely exploded.

* * *

Karin awoke to the sounds of exploding debris. A violent light was only about 100 feet away. She looked around her to see Byakuya. He was sitting down, watching the building completely burn down. She watched him, as he winced slightly. His entire outfit had rips and tears. She sat up suddenly, and then immediately regretted doing so. Her head was dizzy and she was feeling sick, almost as if she had the flu.

Byakuya noticed her movement, and came closer. He took a look at her.

"That was risky."

Karin shrugged. "I trusted your shunpo skill." She then smiled. Her smile turned to a frown as she looked over him and saw many scrapes and cuts all over his face, arms, and from what she could see under his kimono, shallow cuts on his chest as well.

"What happened? Why are you hurt?"

"The explosion. We barely got out." His jaw was tight. What he didn't tell her was that the initial explosion hadn't caused that much damage. It was the rest of the explosives and the shrapnel that posed a deeper threat to them. He had shielded her from most of the flying debris. But, she may still have been hit.

They should have had a better plan. He was going to have to teach Karin a thing or two about actual strategy instead of "let's go in without thinking and blow stuff up!"

Byakuya asked, "Can you walk? I probably don't need to tell you this, but we need to put as much distance between this building and ourselves as possible. I believe, based on what Zaraki told me and what I remember from before, the Shiba clan home should only be a few miles away."

Karin nodded. Although all she wanted to really do was sleep, she knew that they needed to flee. The sooner they could get to the Shibas, the better. Of course, hopefully they wouldn't turn them way.

Byakuya stood, up and then grimaced in pain. He held his hand out to Karin, who took it. She was wobbly on her feet, and struggled to get her balance. She felt Byakuya move her arm over his shoulder. They walked, with him supporting her for about a mile that way. It was then that she remembered how torn up he looked. She tried to get out from underneath his shoulder, but he didn't budge. He was only looking around, as if he was sensing something, or trying to avoid someone.

The next mile was a little rough. Karin was dragging her feet and getting tired, but Byakuya, as well, who had taken the impact from the explosion, was also feeling tired. At this point, it wasn't just Byakuya holding Karin up. Karin now had her arm around his waist, and was pushing him along as well.

They had left the edges of the dense forest, and found themselves in a field of tall grass. And right in front of them, was a small house, with two huge hands coming out of the grass that held a banner that read something with Shiba on it. Karin was starting to get tired, and her eyes were starting to get fuzzy.

"Almost there, then?" She asked, looking at Byakuya. Byakuya turned his face towards hers, and gave a slight smile.

"It's hard to miss." He added dryly. It didn't seem far, but Karin was starting to fade. She suddenly found a sharp pain in her side. She used the arm and hand that wasn't supporting Byakuya, and touched the side. When she pulled her fingers away, she saw blood. She was hoping to keep it quiet, but it was too late.

When she looked up at Byakuya, hoping to just see him looking at the house, she noticed that his eyes were solely on her hand, and then shifted to her side. It was then, that he pulled her on his back, like he had once before (and like she had for him eight months earlier), and using the remainder of his energy, shunpoed as quickly as he could toward the house.

They had only reached the house where two large men guarded the house. The only thing that Byakuya said, before collapsing from his injuries and the drain of his energy, was, "Help her. Please."

To be continued...

**Author's Note: Dun Dun Dun... Just kidding. Seriously, I don't even know what I am writing anymore. I just know that I have the general idea/guideline for each chapter and the story as a whole and then it just evolves so much, and they are just too long. I was going to have them meet the Shibas this chapter too, but I'm already at 7,000 words. Gah! ****And that will probably be around another 6,000-7,000. I though that this entire story would only be about 50000 words total. It's going to be a bit longer than that...  
**

**This chapter was really hard for me to write. I knew that they were going to blow up a building and I knew that I wanted them to kiss sometime while they were doing it. I think I am a better writer with the banter and them talking than action. I don't know how people can write action centered fics. Good for them, but I just can't do it. I am going to really hate writing the last two chapters. **

**I have about 3-5 chapters left in the story (including an epilogue), and I am looking forward to writing this next chapter. :) Hopefully my muse will stick around and I can crank it out in the next few days or so. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Once again, I don't own Bleach**

**Chapter 8—Origins or when they meet the family**

Byakuya was dreaming fitfully. Watched over by a healer and a household resident in one of the rooms at the Shiba clan home. Although the house appeared small, underneath, there was a large maze of many rooms and areas. It was quite big. Lying next to him was Karin. She was sleeping more peacefully, but still wasn't awake yet.

Their healer turned to the brother and sister who had provided their hospitality.

"Well," the healer said, "I've done all I can." He stood up to leave.

Kukaku Shiba stopped him, and asked, "That is Byakuya Kuchiki correct?"

The healer looked over the young man who was lying down. He recognized the sharp facial features. Although he was thinner, and his hair was shorter, he was definitely the head of the Kuchiki clan. He also happened to recognize the zanpakto.

The healer nodded at Kukaku. "It is. I guess what Yoruichi said was true about him being imprisoned for all this time. Do you recognize the young woman?," he asked, pointing at the girl.

"No," she answered. "But, I feel like I should know her. Hopefully they will wake up soon."

"They probably have something to do with the warehouse blowing up." Ganju added, looking at the pretty boy and the young woman with grudging respect.

Kukaku nodded in agreement. She looked over at Ganju. "Listen up idiot. You need to give this information to everyone else. Let Yoruichi know."

She then turned to leave, deciding to tell their permanent guests about the new visitors.

* * *

Byakuya was sitting on the patio of his old home, just looking at the trees and the koi pond. Standing to the side of a large tree was a beautiful, petite young woman. His heart tightened in grief. He stood up and left the patio, walking toward her.

He put his hand on her face, and she looked up at him, with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face.

"I've missed you." She said, burying her face into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her small body, and said, "I've missed you too." His hand brushed through her hair.

At this moment, a small nagging feeling reminded him that he was dreaming. If only she had never died, and there hadn't been an attack on Soul Society.

And then another voice was heard in his head, Sebonzakura saying, "Things happen. It's how you react to them, that determines the person you are."

He backed away from Hisana, and with his hands on her arms, just looked at her. She smiled at him, radiant and beaming.

"I've always wanted you to be happy. You've been through so much. You deserve it. Will you tell me about her?" She asked, pointing to the patio. He turned to see where Hisana was pointing. On the patio of the former Kuchiki manner lay Karin, wearing an old fashioned kimono. She was fast asleep, with her hair down and framing her face.

"There's nothing." Byakuya said, feeling guilty that he had feelings for Karin. Hisana wasn't accusing though. "She's not you. She's kind, but proud. She's arrogant, but willing to help so much. She frustrates me so much sometimes."

"Byakuya-sama. I want you to be happy. Don't spend your time pining over me. You have to move on." Hisana said smiling at him mischievously, with her hand on his face. "I will always be a part of you, you know."

"How could I love someone as much as I love you? It wouldn't be fair for her." He spilled out, wondering if it was right talking about a young woman that he cared for with his late wife, who he loved more than anything.

Hisana shook her head, "You were a different man when we were married. Your life has changed. I will always care for you, the man that you used to be. And she will love you for who you are now, if you just give her a chance. I am your past, and she might be your future. I was never able to return your love." She shook her head, "It was foolish but I was too burdened with guilt. But she is the one that will be able to heal your heart. There is room for both of us in here." She moved her hand to where his heart was beating fast.

She then said, "Farewell Byakuya-sama. Thank you again for everything that you did for me." She walked off and disappeared behind the trees. Byakuya then turned, he saw Karin watching him while sitting on the patio. Her legs were swinging over the edge. She smiled at him widely, her eyes lit up at seeing him.

And even though he felt immensely saddened by the experience of seeing his late wife again, he walked over to Karin slowly. She reached her hand out to him, and he grabbed it.

* * *

Byakuya woke with a start. He was breathing deeply. The dream that he was in was so vivid. He sat up, with his hand on his head. He was trying to calm down. He finally calmed down enough to take a look around his room. It was a small room, with bare walls. He was laying on the futon. He was casting his mind around to try and remember where he was. He remembered the explosion, Karin's tortured screams, and then a kiss. It came rushing back to him after that.

He heard some footsteps and turned toward the door when it slid open.

"You're awake." Ganju Shiba stepped in, glaring at Byakuya. Byakuya just stared right back at him.

"Obviously." Byakuya replied dryly. He had never really liked Ganju Shiba. He had no respect for any Shibas, besides the late Kaien. They were a fallen noble house. He had no reason to associate with them. And now here he was, they could just throw him out easily. He had to completely rely on them at the moment.

Ganju just stared, and then said, "Yeah. You're Kuchiki alright. We weren't sure at first. But a couple of friends recognized you." He turned to leave, and then said, "We're eating. You coming or not?"

Byakuya just glared at him, casting around for clothes to wear.

Ganju noticed that Byakuya was indeed looking for clothes. He pointed to a corner of the room, and then said, "We're just down the hall. Follow the voices." He then closed the door behind him. Byakuya found the kimono and hakama, and changed into his new clothes. They were well kept. He then stepped out of the room and found himself following the voices he heard.

He stood in front of the shoji door, and opened the door where two large men knelt before him.

"WELCOME KUCHIKI DONO, TO SHIBA-DONO'S HOME." They then bowed him into the room. He hadn't been announced to a dinner like that in a long time. Inside the room were several people sitting around the table eating dinner. It was cold out, since they were now in December, and they were eating a stew.

Kukaku Shiba sat at the head of the table. "Welcome Captain Kuchiki. Please sit down and join us." She gestured to an empty seat next to a blonde man.

"Hey Captain Kuchiki! Haven't seen ya for awhile have we?" Byakuya nodded his head slightly at Shinji Hirako as he took his seat, and was handed a bowl and chopsticks. He began eating quietly when he noticed that the rest of the table was just staring at him. They had been eating already, so he knew that he didn't breach any etiquette. Still, the silence was unnerving. He put his food down, and looked at them with his eyebrows raised in question.

"Where the hell have ya been Kuchiki?" Said the young looking woman sitting across from him.

"I could also ask you that question as well." He said, nodding toward her and then looking at Shinji.

"Well, it's obvious, isn't it? Rose, Kensei and I all took off and met up with the rest of the vizards. We've been training. Rukongai is huge, you can easily blend in here."

Byakuya nodded once at the explanation. It made sense to him. He was playing with some meat in between his chopsticks.

He said abruptly, "I should have died in that initial attack. Instead I survived, and was imprisoned until about eight months ago when I was broken out of jail."

Shinji glanced and Kukaku and Ganju. Kukaku nodded once at Byakuya.

"That's what Yoruichi told me. We needed to confirm the story."

"Understandable." Was Byakuya's response. The rest of the party at the looked around at each other.

Shinji then asked another question, "And the young woman that came here with you?"

"She's not awake yet?" He asked, concerned for the young woman.

Shinji looked at Byakuya, and then said, "No. I've healed her major injury, but she's just resting. It looks like she was put through quite a bit."

"Her side? How did she get hurt there?" Byakuya asked.

"Well, I had to dig out some shrapnel. Looked like it came from a building. Some glass, and lots of dirt and debris."

Byakuya nodded at the response. Then decided to tell them the truth. "Her name is Karin Kurosaki. She's the one who rescued myself and the others from prison."

"Well, hell." Kukaku said. She then looked at Byakuya, pointing her finger at him, "You know her father and brother are going to kill you for letting her get that badly injured."

Byakuya continued to eat, and then answered by saying, "I tried taking most of the impact myself."

"Do those injuries have anything to do with the armor and weapons building exploding just a couple of days ago?"

Byakuya sighed, saddened by the realization that he wasn't going to be able to eat until after they had heard the story. So he kept it as short as possible. "We've been here four months. We ran into Zaraki and his crew about 10 days ago. He mentioned your name and the warehouse. We were all out of supplies so, we stopped at the building to do some reconnaissance on the way."

"Reconnaissance that turned into an explosion?" Kukaku asked suspiciously.

"The sternritter Bambietta was present during an inspection. Things were not as easy as we had assumed." He turned to Shinji.

"Karin was tortured by her. She was electrocuted several times by the Sternritter."

"Well, that makes more sense as to why she hasn't woken up yet. It will probably be a few days still until she regains all her strength." Byakuya nodded. He then looked at Kukaku at the head of the table.

She smiled slightly at him and said "Thank you for explaining yourself. You're welcome to stay here as long as you and your companion need." He took that as a sign that he could actually eat. He enjoyed his meal as he tried to his best to be as polite as possible while wanting to devour everything.

He was done eating soon, along with the rest of the table. Shinji told him, as they were standing up, "I have to go check on my patient. Make sure her side and everything else are healing up. You can come and check on her, if you'd like."

Byakuya nodded. He knew that she was probably fine, but he did want to see her. After that dream that he awoke from, he wanted to just see her. They walked down the same hall that Byakuya's room was. About two doors down from his, Shinji stopped and entered. Byakuya followed and then suddenly found himself staring into the room.

There was another person in the room, sitting next to Karin with his legs crossed in a meditative pose. He had dark gray hair, and was tall. His eyes opened, and stared straight at Byakuya.

Shinji thanked the man for watching over Karin so he could eat. The man said, "No problem."

He stopped in front of Byakuya. "I am happy to see you," he said seriously looking at Byakuya.

Byakuya just stared at the man, trying to see if he was real or not. He shook his head, and stepped back. He continued to look confused.

He asked tentatively, "Grandfather?"

Ginrei Kuchiki gave a slight smile to his grandson. "You didn't recognize me, Byakuya? I could hardly recognize you."

Byakuya shook his head again. "No. They killed you. Right in front of me. Or at least I thought so. How many of the clan are still alive?"

Ginrei looked shocked at the statement. He shook his head. Then said, "Come, let's find some privacy." He put his hand on his grandson's shoulder and led him to the room where he was staying. They sat down. Ginrei turned to his grandson as Byakuya sat down on a mat.

"Now, Byakuya, I want you to tell me everything."

And so he told him everything, from the attack on Soul Society and his subsequent incarceration. He told him of Karin breaking him out of prison, training, her physical death, regaining his contact with Sebonzakura and them destroying the building.

At the end of his story, Ginrei reached a hand out to put on Byakuya's shoulder.

"You have done well. You have gone through much, and yet you are still here."

Byakuya just wanted to know, "If it was a hallucination that I saw with you, then does that mean the rest of the clan is fine?"

Ginrei shook his head slowly. "No. I'm afraid they were all executed. I was smuggled out of the clan home before they attacked. Yoruichi and Kukaku insisted that I wasn't safe. I grabbed as much as I could and I left." He looked at Byakuya sadly, and said, "I thought you were dead. If I had known..."

"There were times I wish I had been killed. They took my honor in a noble death and kept me alive."

Ginrei just looked at Byakuya with a stare. "I am just happy to see you alive. As much as I wanted you to be a noble ruler of the clan, more importantly, as a grandfather, I want you to be safe and happy."

Byakuya just looked at Ginrei, and smiled. He wasn't alone anymore. His grandfather and sister were still alive. It was hard, but they could possibly rebuild their family's name. He tore his thoughts away and looked at his grandfather.

He was curious. "Why were you sitting with Karin?"

"Oh. Shinji asked if anyone would mind eating a little later. He was concerned about her since she wasn't waking up. And I was curious to see her. They also wanted to make sure you weren't an impostor before I saw you. Trying to protect an old man like me." He said, with a slight smile.

It was then that they heard loud steps running down the hall, and loud banging on the door before the door was slid wide open. It was Ganju.

"She's awake. And she is freaking out. Doesn't know where she is and is beating the crap out of everyone. Sister sent me to get you, Kuchiki." He said, looking at Byakuya. He noticed that Ganju had a black eye. Byakuya stood up quickly and shunpoed into Karin's room. Shinji was holding her off easily, but Karin had her Zanpakto and was wielding it with excellent efficiency.

"Karin." Byakuya said. He then shunpoed quickly, and disarmed her weapon. She stared at him with wild eyes. For a moment, he feared that she had somehow lost her memory.

"Thank goodness. Byakuya, where are we?" She asked, with her hand on his arm. He was holding her steady. Everything had caught up to her. She was dizzy, and her side hurt, badly.

"All of a sudden I woke up, and this ugly creeper was staring at me." She then pointed at Ganju.

"Hey!" Ganju said, pretending to be hurt. He was rubbing his cheek bone, just under the black eye. Byakuya noticed he had a red mark there as well. "You've got a good punch there."

Karin looked at Byakuya. He decided to elaborate for her. "We are at the Shiba clan home. You punched one of them."

Karin's mouth formed an "O". She laughed awkwardly. "Sorry about that."

Ganju just stared at her while Byakuya was trying hard not to laugh.

Kukaku just looked at Karin and told her. "It's not a big deal. I do worse to him every day. So you're Ichigo's sister?"

"Yeah."

"Well, then." Kukaku looked at her, with a smile. She walked up to her, looking her up and down. She then said, "It's good to finally meet you, cousin."

Karin blinked once, and then a second time. Both Karin and Byakuya just stared at Kukaku, and at the same time, said, "Huh?"

Kukaku raised her eyebrows while Ginrei who was standing to the side just outside the door and listening, was trying hard to repress a smile that was starting to creep up on his face.

"We're cousins. Our fathers were brothers." And then it hit Byakuya. He now knew why her father looked familiar. They had both come to be captain around the same time. He didn't know why he hadn't recognized Isshin Shiba, but now he just felt like a fool.

"You didn't know that Captain Kuchiki?" Byakuya shook his head.

"Her father looked familiar, but I wasn't able to make the connection."

Karin didn't show much emotion, only saying, "That bastard made us think we had no family at all."

She then sat down. "My side hurts" she said to them. Shinji moved forward and began looking over her wounded side. Byakuya and Kukaku were leaving when she said, "Wait...I...Will you tell me about your.. I mean, our family?" Karin asked hesitantly.

"When you're better" Kukaku said, and then without even saying goodbye, completely left. Byakuya, however, stayed behind, giving Shinji space to heal Karin. He stayed in the room since he remembered the Shinji had a reputation for being a pervert.

Shinji quickly finished looking at her side. He got up to leave and addressed Karin.

"Now," he said, "No physical activity, including training or attacking Ganju for the next few days. And the attacking Ganju will be hard not to do. The guy will remind ya of your brother."

"Really?" Karin asked curiously.

"Yep. They're both big idiots." He then turned to leave. "See ya Karin-san, Kuchiki-sama." He slid the door closed behind him, leaving Karin and Byakuya alone.

Karin looked at Byakuya, and decided right now was the time to apologize.

"Hey, Byakuya. I'm glad you're alright." He didn't respond verbally, but just sat down next to her.

She continued by apologizing. "I...I was really reckless. I shouldn't have charged up those stairs without a plan. I was, just kind of bored. And I didn't follow your orders. I'm sorry you were hurt because of my stupidity."

Byakuya looked at Karin's face. He could tell she was sincere and felt badly about the experience. Although they had got the job done, it was messy. However, it could have been a lot worse.

"As long as you've learned something, and we're both fine, it's okay. I accept your apology." He continued to sit next to her. She was brushing her fingers through her long, dark hair. He noticed that she did that when she was nervous or slightly embarrassed. He watched her. She started to get sleepy, and laid down on her futon. She pulled up the blanket, to cover her body, and turned her body toward him so she was laying on her side.

"Where are you sleeping?" She asked, feeling quite drowsy.

"I have a room just down the hall."

"Oh." She pouted a little bit and then smiled slightly. She was just on the verge of sleep, when he felt her hand on his face. She looked at him with a tired smile, eyes barely opened, and asked, "When are you going to shave? You might start looking like a lumberjack soon." He took hold of her hand as it caressed his face. She finally started breathing evenly, and when she was in a deep sleep, he got up and left to his find his grandfather, but not without one final glance toward Karin, wondering what exactly a "lumberjack" was.

* * *

"I take it you stayed a while to speak with your friend?" Ginrei asked Byakuya as he came back into his grandfather's room. He figured his grandfather would understand.

"She was disoriented, and disturbed when she awoke. She had to be healed again, and then we had a few things to discuss."

"She seems quite talented, for one so young." Byakuya nodded. He then said to his grandfather, "A talented family, the Shibas."

"Ah. So Kukaku told her huh? She really didn't give her much time after waking up." Ginrei said, feigning that he hadn't overheard the conversation.

"Did you know that Ichigo Kurosaki was related to the Shibas?" Byakuya asked, curious about his grandfather's involvement in the matter.

"No. Thought it was coincidence that he looked like Kaien. But, I then heard from Yoruichi that he was the son of the long-lost Isshin Shiba. And then it made perfect sense why he resembled his late cousin. And your friend, Karin, she looks exactly as her grandmother did when she was her age. I had no problem placing what family she belonged to."

Byakuya was thinking on this point when he told him, "I've heard that a few times, that she looks like her grandmother. Did I ever meet her?"

"Yes. But you were young, and she was older." Ginrei then decided to ask a question he was curious about since he had heard that his grandson had arrived carrying a young woman on his back in the middle of the night.

"Now, tell me Byakuya. What is going on between yourself and that young woman?"

Byakuya looked taken aback. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected his grandfather to ask a question like that.

"What do you mean?" He asked cautiously, wanting to tread lightly on the topic.

"I mean, you were a prisoner of war for six years, tortured and put through hell during that time, and you are here before me, happier, it seems than you were before the Quincy even attacked." Ginrei looked curious,more than anything.

Byakuya remained tight-lipped. He shrugged his shoulders. "She rescued me. We trained together in the living world. When she was killed by Bach, I made sure that she made it to Soul Society and that we both survived the Rukongai. That's it."

"Hmm..." Ginrei said shrewdly, noticing that Byakuya had seemed to omit a few things. He hadn't seen his grandson this grounded, peaceful and content since before Hisana died. It was different though.

Byakuya's eyes held a more serious look, and Ginrei could tell he had been through a lot. But he was obviously coping well with what was going on. It was the difference between an innocent man happy in his naivety of the world around him; and a man that knew of the cruelty of world, but still managed to find peace and fulfillment in his life. Byakuya was no longer that innocent, pampered man holed up in his manor.

Byakuya changed the subject quickly, and they got to talking about their past and the years that Ginrei had lived with the Shibas.

* * *

Karin awoke the next day, feeling quite content and happy. She got up slowly, and walked around her room, just stretching her legs. She then left her room to explore the house. She walked slowly through the halls and noticed that the home was quite large. She wandered her way, mainly following her sense of smell. Her stomach was grumbling. She hadn't eaten in a few days.

Last night, she had zero appetite at all. Now, she could eat a horse. She entered a large room, where two larger than life men were cooking food.

They turned as she entered and bowed down before her. "Welcome, Karin-sama!"

They then turned back around, and continued to prepare some food. Karin was kind of stuck in the kitchen. She was hungry, but she wasn't about to ask outright for food. Maybe she could sneak some if she helped cook? She didn't know if she could wait for breakfast. She was so hungry.

"Um... May I help in anyway?" She asked the two men.

They looked at each other, and then shrugged their shoulders. "As you wish, Karin-sama."

She walked over to them, where she saw them preparing a large amount of vegetables. With all the nobles in the house, she wasn't surprised if they had to make such huge amounts of food everyday, even if some of those household members weren't shinigami. She rolled up the sleeves on her kimono and grabbed a small paring knife and began peeling potatoes.

* * *

It was here, in the kitchen where Byakuya found her. He woke up in his grandfather's room from the night before. They had stayed up talking, and in the midst of their conversation, Byakuya had fallen asleep on the floor. It was an odd feeling. He hadn't done that in his grandfather's presence since he was a young boy.

It happened often. His grandfather, despite his rather serious demeanor in public, was loving and kind toward Byakuya. They would talk, or sometimes, his grandfather would just tell stories, and Byakuya would fall asleep listening to his grandfather speak. He was embarrassed that as a grown man, he had done it again last night.

He quietly walked around his grandfather, and left the room. He stopped at his own room on the way back so he could shave and get changed. It had been a while since he shaved. His face felt different now that he was clean shaven once again.

He then tried checking on Karin. He knocked softly on the door, and then slid it open, expecting to see her still on her futon. Or halfway off. Karin was a wild sleeper, from what he had seen in their times together. Her room was completely empty.

He focused on finding her reiatsu. After finding the general direction of where she was, he walked toward her. Since they had arrived at the Shiba clan's home, he found himself wanting to see her more and more. It was probably the fact that for the first time in about four months they were separated. After living and traveling so closely with her, being apart from her was harder than he expected.

And that last adventure of theirs, was really too close of a call. He had shielded her as much as he could, but somehow, she had still been hit and lost a lot of blood. He was worried about her. He stood in front of a room, the room that had her reiatsu in it, and he slid the door open.

He blinked in surprise. It was the kitchen. He hesitantly walked in, leaving the door open. He saw Karin, standing next to the two large men, Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko, helping them prepare a meal. He watched in silence as she was chopping some vegetables.

He smirked as he watched her sneak a slice of bell pepper in her mouth. So, that was why she was 'helping' with breakfast. He had learned from living with her the past four months, that she had a huge appetite, and since she hadn't eaten dinner the evening before, he wasn't all surprised to see her in the kitchen, sneaking bites of food.

Byakuya flash stepped over quietly and quickly.

Karin was just about to grab a carrot to eat. Her stomach was still so hungry, but she could only sneak small bites here and there. All of a sudden the carrot that she was reaching for was gone.

Karin gave a shriek as all of a sudden, she saw Byakuya standing next to her, eating an orange vegetable.

That bastard. Karin narrowed her eyes at him. That was her carrot!

The two men besides her just started laughing at her and Byakuya.

"Beat at your own game, Karin-sama?" They grinned. Karin just looked at them sheepishly.

"You could have just asked for food Karin-sama." They told her, looking amused that their honored guest faked "helping" in order to score something to eat.

"I couldn't just do that! Not when I don't live here." They looked at each and then at her, both shaking their head.

"But, you are a Shiba. This is your home as well." Karin stared at them, and sighed.

"Plus, this is for lunch. Breakfast is already prepared." They stated seriously.

At this Byakuya couldn't help it. He was trying so hard not to laugh. Karin looked completely flabbergasted.

And then she stared at Byakuya, and said, "Are you going to laugh, Byakuya?"

She then noticed the vegetable pile was completely gone. She stared back at him.

"You stole my food!" She pointed a finger at him. He just smiled at her.

She then stopped. "You're smiling." He just kept staring at her.

"Yes." It was then that neither of them noticed the quick retreat of the Shiba clan guardsmen out of the kitchen with the breakfast. Karin noticed that he was once again clean-shaven.

"Why are you smiling? What's wrong?" Karin asked. She had never seen the full smile on the man's face before. It was extraordinary how much more attractive he was and how much younger he looked.

He frowned in confusion at her statement. "Why would something be wrong?" Byakuya asked, wondering at what she was saying.

Karin answered, "I've just never seen you like that. And, you finally shaved..." She had a slight flush on her face as she awkwardly tried to avoid eye contact. She felt a light touch on her chin. She let him lift her face up. Her eyes looked at his fully, and their was a different light in his gray eyes that she hadn't seen before. They looked more alive than ever before.

"Maybe, I'm just happy." Was his answer, with a slight smile on his face, looking at her.

"Oh." Karin really was at a loss for words. She had never before been in a situation like this before. Her first kiss was only a few days before at the warehouse. Why did it seem like his face was leaning towards hers? Then it stopped. He put his hand down and took a step back. She looked at him in confusion and then disappointment.

"Byakuya," a masculine voice said, "There you are." Karin looked to see an elderly, stately gentleman just inside the shoji door. He stepped in the room. He saw Karin, and crossed the room to face her. He stood a few feet away and stared at her.

He then formally bowed and said, "You must be Kurosaki-sama. It is nice to meet you. I would like to formally thank you for finding and releasing my grandson from prison. Our family owes you more than you can ever know." Karin glanced at Byakuya out of the corner of her eye, the impassive look back on Byakuya's face as he looked only at the man.

Karin asked Byakuya, "Your grandfather?" Her voice was quiet. She realized that was probably why he was so happy. Not like he was going to kiss her or anything. Karin felt slightly embarrassed but managed to put a kind smile on her face. Ginrei looked between the two younger shinigami, waiting to see if his grandson was planning on properly introducing him.

Byakuya moved in between Ginrei and Karin. "This is my grandfather, Ginrei Kuchiki, former head of the Kuchiki clan. He was rescued by the Shiba clan and brought here. Only he, Rukia and I are left of the Kuchiki clan." He then turned to his grandfather, gesturing to Karin, "This is Karin Kurosaki. She is Isshin Shiba's daughter and Ichigo Kurosaki's sister. She is the one known as "The Masked Lily" and has freed myself and several others."

Karin blushed at the formal introduction. She wasn't used to this type of thing.

Karin nodded her head formally toward Ginrei. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Kuchiki-sama. I am very happy to help all I can in this cause. Our cause has a better chance at being successful with the help of your grandson."

Ginrei smiled slightly at Karin. "You have good manners, considering your father and brother."

Karin just answered, "Well. I try to distance myself from their reputations as much as possible."

"Have you had breakfast yet, Kurosaki-sama?"

"Please, call me Karin. And no, I haven't had any breakfast yet. I wasn't aware of where to get breakfast."

"The Shibas are very informal." He gestured for him to follow her to the side of the kitchen, where there was a large counter top. On top of the counter top, there were dishes and dishes covered by kitchen towels.

"Kukaku-sama doesn't hold a formal breakfast. All of her guests wake up at different times. We just come up, serve ourselves, and take it back to our rooms. Would you like to join me for breakfast?" Karin, who was taking in the sight of all the food, her thoughts of Byakuya and his grandfather chased away by the rumblings in her stomach.

She looked over at Ginrei, as she began ladling a couple of plates with food. Byakuya stood behind her, holding another three plates himself.

"I would be honored, Kuchiki-sama." He smiled as he joined the line behind his grandson, watching Byakuya and Karin interact.

He knew Byakuya well. He was amused as he watched his grandson look at the young woman in front of him, who, while balancing a third plate on his forearm, managed to fill it half with foods he had put on his plate already, and half with foods that the young woman in front of him had already piled on his plate. She waited for them while Ginrei and Byakuya walked out the door.

They sat on a few mats in Ginrei's larger room, eating their breakfast in silence. Ginrei was surprised that the young woman had such etiquette, considering that she wasn't raised in an actual noble household. He gave a small smile as Byakuya ate half of the third plate and then moved the food over to Karin. She gave him a small smile, and said "Thanks."

Ginrei, who wanted to know a little bit more about this young woman whom his grandson obviously held in such high regard.

"May I ask, Karin, how you became a Soul Reaper?" Byakuya looked on in interest at the question. He had never heard the story himself.

Karin sat back, satisfied from her large meal. She said, "Well, I guess it started when Ichigo met Rukia. Yuzu and I were attacked that night. Rukia was injured, and Ichigo, trying to save us, took Rukia's powers. At first, I thought there was just a big truck accident."

"Then I slowly started regaining my memories. I started seeing Ichigo as a soul reaper more and I started feeling more of those hollows. He refused telling me what he was. He only pretended that I was crazy. I was only 11 at the time, so I only knew about monsters and that my brother left his body behind to become a death god, and he killed those monsters. I didn't trust Rukia, since I had seen her in her soul reaper form."

"After Ichigo lost his soul reaper powers, it seemed like mine kept growing stronger. Uruhara-san created some reiatsu suppressing stuff for me, that I bought so I wouldn't attract many hollows. I was always interested in becoming a soul reaper, but it wasn't the right time."

Ginrei and Byakuya nodded her on. "It wasn't until the backlash from the war with the Quincy that they finally told me the story."

"I met Toshiro, Rangiku, and formally met Renji, since I had seen that pineapple head before. They told me what was required to become a soul reaper, and after meeting Yoruichi and Uruhara formally, they believed that there was a chance that I might already have a soul reaper soul, because of my growing reiatsu. It took some talking with Toshiro and my father, but I finally decided to give it a go. The first time I tried soul candy was almost three years ago."

"They were right. I was already in my soul form. I had no soul chain. It was an oddity, but since my family was full of oddities, nobody thought of it. I trained hard with Yoruichi and Tessai more than anyone else. And then, I started to think the best way to help regain Soul Society."

"With Toshiro's knowledge of Seireitei, in secret I started infiltrating to test the barriers. That's how I found all the prisoners. Byakuya was the last one that I helped. I hope I didn't miss anyone besides those in Squad 4."

Ginrei answered her. "You have helped many already. There is a much higher chance of us succeeding all because of you."

Karin smiled at him lightly. She shook her head. "I just wish there was more I could do."

Ginrei smiled back, and then said, "Thank you for having breakfast with us, Karin. I believe Kukaku-sama wanted to see you this morning. Shall I escort you?"

Karin flushed at the very gentlemanly manner that Ginrei Kuchiki had. She nodded her head, and he tucked her arm into his elbow and guided her out the room. Byakuya just shook his head at his grandfather's manner, and followed out slowly.

* * *

He led her to a small sitting room. He held the door open and Karin entered the room. Inside the room were Kukaku and Ganju.

Kukaku gestured for her to come inside. Byakuya and Ginrei stood at the door and both made to leave when Kukaku's voice said, "You two are more than welcome to come in as well."

Byakuya looked at Karin. She looked slightly nervous. She was staring back at him, from where she was kneeling at a small round table beside Ganju. She nodded slightly at him, giving him permission to stay. If she felt more comfortable with him there, then he would say. Byakuya sat by Karin, while Ginrei sat in between Kukaku and Byakuya.

Kukaku poured some tea for everyone, and then turned to Karin. "Tell me about yourself, Karin."

Karin thought to herself. She always hated that question. Always. She never knew what to say. Considering this was her family as well, it was a little awkward.

"Well... I'm one of three kids. You guys know Ichigo, it sounds like. I have a twin sister named Yuzu. I'm 19, going on 20 this year. Before I died, I just helped out at my dad's medical clinic and went to the university for studies." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Is there anything in particular that you would like to know about me?" She asked tentatively.

"No. You don't like that question, huh?" Ganju chimed in.

"No. I hate those types of questions. Too vague." Karin answered.

"Well, I thought I would inform you of a couple of things." Kukaku lent over and put a small box on the table. She pulled out the first picture and handed it to Karin. Byakuya looked in at the painting of a young woman and thought that he was staring at Karin. They looked almost exactly the same.

She had long, dark hair, beautiful gray eyes with long eye lashes, and delicate facial features. Karin blinked a couple of times, and then asked, "Who is this?"

Kukaku smiled at her. "This is our grandmother. Her name was Hana Shiba. She had two sons. Our father, Ichiro, was the eldest. He inherited the title of clan leader first. Isshin, your father, was his younger brother by many years. Grandmother's husband, Makoto, died over 150 years ago. Grandmother only died about 20 years ago though."

She looked at Karin thoughtfully. "Everyone says that I favor Hana. But, you are her clone. From your looks to the way you speak, you even sound like her."

Karin looked at her. "How did she die?" She found herself asking, looking at the lively woman that was her grandmother, disappointed that she had never met her.

"Grief. She thought your father had died in the living world on an assignment. My father was killed before that in combat. At the same time as your father, actually, Kuchiki-sama." Byakuya looked at Kukaku in curiosity.

"I wasn't aware of that," he answered neutrally.

"I wasn't either, until Ginrei here told me that Sojun and Ichiro were good friends. They were both killed in the same battle, unfortunately." Ginrei nodded his head sadly at Kukaku's explanation.

"So Hana had seen Makoto, Ichiro, and Kaien pass on, and with Isshin gone, it was really the end for her. She loved us, but she couldn't hold on much longer. She was older anyway, by the time that she passed."

"Kaien?" Karin asked curiously.

"Our older brother." Kukaku answered, looking sadly at Ganju. "He was Captain Ukitake's lieutenant. He was killed over 50 years ago. He was the head of the Shiba clan until his death. Isshin then took over as clan head until his disappearance almost 30 years ago."

"Did you know, that you're named after Kaien?" Karin blinked at her.

"Really?"

"Yes. Uncle Isshin was always close to us. When you were born, he said with all that dark hair and those Shiba features, he wanted to give you a name that was close in spelling to Kaien's. That's why he chose Karin."

Karin just sat there taking it all in.

"Are you alright?" Ganju asked gruffly, watching Karin.

"Yes. I'm fine. So, with my father exiled, is it Ganju or Ichigo that will become the clan head? I hope not. We'd be screwed."

"Hey!" Ganju responded while Kukaku roared with laughter and winked at Karin.

"That is true. Which is the reason why I am leading us at the moment." She smiled at Karin.

"I like you." She stated abruptly. "It's nice to know I have a sensible cousin somewhere. I was a little worried when I first met your brother. Especially when Yoruichi told me who he actually was. I was embarrassed to be related to him at first. His heart's in the right place though."

Karin looked at her. "Yeah, don't judge my sister and I based on Ichigo."

"Speaking of Yoruichi," Ginrei started, "I believe she will be coming today with some information, correct?"

"That's right. She'll want to speak with you and Kuchiki-san over there, to see what you two saw in Rukongai. It will be a long shot, but I think we may be able to convince enough people to join us in the fight."

"How would normal citizens of Rukongai help us though?" Karin asked, "They would just be killed easily unless they're armed against the regular Quincy guards."

Ganju looked at Karin. "Well, what do you think we've been doing for the past 7 years?" He stood up and pulled aside the curtain to what Karin thought was a window. Underneath was a door. He pulled the door open. Inside was a spacious room, that extended far and beyond what the house's size was.

"Kido will sometimes allow us to manipulate space and time, depending on the spell," Kukaku said, "That room, to the outside looks like the size of a window, but it in reality it extends many, many miles. Since we're technically underground, we can pull it off."

Karin stood up and walked to the room. She entered to see weapons, mainly spears, swords and shields. She also saw a lot of fireworks and explosives.

"Our house's specialty is fireworks. We figured with all the weapons and some firepower, we could muscle our way into Seireitei, and well, I think once we have everyone gathered here, we can finalize our plans."

Karin nodded, looking at all the weapons. She was a little nervous. Kukaku made it sound like they were going to start their assault sooner, rather than later. She wasn't ready. Was it going to be a month or longer?

Kukaku looked at Karin, noticing the thoughtful look on her face. "It will probably happen in the next ten days," Kukaku said reading her thoughts.

Karin looked at her with wide eyes. "But, I barely even know my shikai! I always planned on having my bankai by the time the assault came!"

"Well then, Karin-chan, we'd better get started." Yoruichi stood in the room, clad in black leggings and her orange jacket. Of course nobody had seen her enter, with how fast she was.

Karin looked at Yoruichi, with her eyes wide. "Yoruichi-san!" She flash stepped over to her mentor and gave her a hug.

"What's this Karin-chan? You missed me? I thought you'd be having a grand time with Byakuya-bo." Byakuya glared at Yoruichi.

Karin then asked, "Please, how's my family? What about Yuzu?"

Yoruichi looked at Karin sadly. She joined them at the table, pushing herself into a seat next to Kukaku. "I won't lie Karin. They're all heart broken. Yuzu, I think, is taking it better than Ichigo and Isshin. Ichigo always wanted to protect you, and he wasn't even there when you were killed."

"It's not his fault. I wasn't expecting them to be wedding crashers." Yoruichi's mouth twitched, trying not to grin at Karin's choice of words.

"You're right. But, Ichigo still feels guilty. And your father is very upset as well. He's getting better. He knows that you're in Soul Society and that he'll see you again, but it doesn't stop him from missing you."

Karin nodded. "Well, you can tell them I'm find." She said in an answer.

"They'll see that. Ichigo and your father are coming with the others in about a week. We have that long to get your bankai. You ready?"

"You're going to start training me for bankai. I've never even used shikai in battle before!" Karin stated. She was nervous about trying for bankai and completely failing.

"I'm not the only one. Byakuya will help me with training you." Byakuya raised his eyebrows at her order.

"Will I?" Byakuya countered.

"Come. You know that you want to." Yoruichi stated simply, looking at the man in front of her. Karin stared in between the two of them. It was like a nonverbal battle between wills. Byakuya nodded once in agreement after a few seconds and then looked at Karin.

"Follow me, Karin. We'll go to the place where your brother first learned his bankai." She started walking out the door, and said, "That was after I beat Byakuya in a hoho competition, while holding your unconscious brother, proving that I was still as good as when I taught him." She then winked at Byakuya and left the room, with Karin and Byakuya following behind.

A whisper was heard as Yoruichi said to Karin, "Did you know that we used to practice shunpo together when Byakuya-bo was younger? I told him I'd be able to steal his hair ribbons."

Karin was heard laughing, "You wore ribbons in your hair?"

TO BE CONTINUED...

**Author's Note: Once again, I have written more than I intended. I loved the idea of Ginrei being alive still, even after Byakuya witnessed him being killed (ended up being a hallucination). In my next fic (another ByaKarin that I have been thinking about for awhile, Ginrei will have an even bigger role :) ).**

**We don't see enough of the Shibas in the manga/anime, so, I don't think I have good characterization for them. I hope everyone likes it. This chapter (especially the first bit was really hard for me to write.)**

**Also, Shinji-seeing him in the manga chapter helping with surgery, made me want to show him as a healer. Plus, the vizards would not have been killed off easily. Hardly anyone dies in Bleach.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9-Miscommunications or how Byakuya gets Isshin's approval **

Yoruichi led Byakuya and Karin toward Seireitei. They entered an underground training ground that was under a large hill. Byakuya looked at the hill in interest. Byakuya gestured for Karin to enter the training ground after Karin.

When Karin saw the training ground, she felt her jaw hit the ground. It looked exactly like the training that was underneath Urahara's shop.

Yoruichi just smiled at Karin's look. "That's right, Karin-chan. We modeled the one in the living world after this one. Kisuke and I used to train here all the time when we were growing up, and later, after we were shinigami."

"You guys have known each other for a long time?"

"Yes. He was my third seat until he was made captain." She walked over to a large rock and sat down. She gestured two Byakuya and Karin to sit as well.

"Okay, I think today we will need to practice training with your shikai. The Quincy can steal your bankai, but being able to use your bankai will increase your other skills and reiatsu. Today, we will fight you with your shikai. Byakuya will use his shikai against you. I will fight you in hoho and hakuda. We'll both work with you on kido. I mainly want to see where you are with all these other skills. We'll decide at the end of today if you are ready for bankai training or not. If you aren't, that's fine. We'll just keep training."

Karin looked at her and Byakuya, determination etched on her face. Yoruichi nodded at Karin's look. She knew Karin well, and she looked like she was ready to begin. Looking less ready to begin their sparring match was Byakuya. He looked in disapproval at Karin and Yoruichi.

"I've never released my shikai in a fight," Karin said, looking at Byakuya.

"Come," Byakuya said, realizing he wasn't going to get out of fighting against Karin. He only hoped that he didn't hurt her too badly.

"Hey, Byakuya-bo!" Yoruichi yelled down from the rock, as she was sitting on the cliff, observing them from above, "Don't take it easy on her!"

He looked up at Yoruichi and nodded.

He then drew his sealed zanpakto and attacked Karin. He was so fast, she barely had time to take out her sheathed zanpakto to block the attack. He backed off quickly as she parried, and again, was so fast as he struck her again that she barely had time to put up her now unsheathed blade against him. He attacked her harder than he ever had before, swinging and slicing.

She was doing all she could to try and give back more of what he gave. He was obviously stronger than her. Although he was still gaining weight back from his captivity, she could see the muscles of his arms working as he relentlessly pushed his blade against hers. He finally backed off and faced her. The look on his face was unreadable. He had never been this hard to fight before.

"Don't take it personally, Karin-chan. Byakuya-bo is trying to get you to release your shikai. That's all." Karin looked over at him. He was staring right back at her. And he wasn't happy. When Yoruichi suggested that he help her oversee Karin's training, he was more than willing to help, just so he could make sure that she was okay and that Yoruichi wasn't doing anything too crazy to her.

Now, he was the one forced to fight against her. He knew it was for her own good, but he had never before released Sebonzakura, even in his shikai. He had seen Karin's shikai already, but he was always able to avoid releasing his. Now, he had a feeling he was going to have to. He could only hope he didn't hurt her too badly when it happened.

She faced him, and put her zanpakto in front of her face. She looked at him, and said, "Wave, Kaiyo Choseki." The zanpakto turned into a glimmering, pearl trident. She then attacked Byakuya. He was was ready for her though. He knew what was going to happen already. He would let her fight him for a few minutes before he released his shikai.

Kaiyo Choseki was a water based zanpakto. Her major attack was, in essence the same as her brother's attack: Getsuga Tenshou. The shape of the energy different. Instead of a crescent shape of spiritual energy, her three-pronged trident created essentially a tidal wave from the ground, a whole lot of spirit energy, fused with water. How she was able to use the same attack without a zanpakto that was immediately related to her family's was as mystery to him. Byakuya, who usually dodged the attacks just fine, almost always found himself still soaked after fighting her.

He dodged her 'Getsuga Tenshou' well enough and then moved on to fight her. She parried well against his sealed sword, and swung her trident down toward him. He moved quickly out of the way. She was pushing harder and harder against him, and it was now, after only a minute, getting harder to dodge her attacks. She could wear him down easily. He would have to end it quickly, apparently. He stood to the side.

"You've gotten better." He stated simply, looking at her.

She nodded her head in acknowledgement. "Stop going easy on me," she replied seriously. He was toying with her, and she knew it. He had many more years experience than she did, she knew that she wouldn't be able to keep up that easily with him.

He raised his eyebrows at her request and shrugged his shoulders. "As you wish." He put Sebonzakura facing up in front of his face.

"Scatter." Karin was on full alert when she saw what appeared to be little cherry blossoms disappear from his sword. She looked around warily as he stared at her in silence. She was about to ask about him about the pretty flowers, when all of a sudden, she felt her right shoulder pierced by what felt like little pieces of glass. When she looked at Byakuya, he had his zanpakto back in one piece, sheathed once again, and was staring at Yoruichi. More like glaring at her. Yoruichi was staring blankly back at Byakuya, not even looking at Karin.

He then turned, and without looking at either one of them, stormed out of the training area.

Karin, whose hand was on her right shoulder, trying to stop the bleeding immediately felt a pressure on her left shoulder. She turned to that side and saw that it was Yoruichi.

Karin looked in confusion at Yoruichi, and did something that she hadn't done for a long time.

She started crying.

Yoruichi looked taken aback at the sudden sobs coming from the young woman next to her.

She immediately took off the sleeve of Karin's kimono, exposing her bound chest, bare arm and shoulder to the air. She set to healing Karin's shoulder with kido, hoping that would get her to stop crying.

Unforunately, it didn't work.

To say that Yoruichi was surprised was an understatement. Karin was a strong young woman, both physically and emotionally. She had never seen her cry before, not like this. Even Ichigo had mentioned that after her mother had died Karin stopped crying.

So why was she crying now?

Karin shouldn't have been too surprised that Byakuya would be a tough opponent. He was older and much more experience than her, even considering his imprisonment over the last 7 years.

Yoruichi put her hands on Karin's shaking shoulders. She was still crying. Yoruichi realized she wouldn't be getting the best assessment of Karin's abilities at the moment anyway. So, she suggested something else.

"Let's go into the hot springs." Karin shrugged her shoulders at the suggestion, with tears still in her eyes and nodded.

Yoruichi led her to the medicinal hot springs.

Karin undressed, taking care not to rustle her shoulder and then went in first. Yoruichi joined her, sitting in the spring. Yoruichi was wondering how to bring up Karin's sobbing when she noticed that although Karin had stopped crying, she was looking off into the distance, with a sad, faraway look on her face.

"Karin. I know you well. What happened?" Yoruichi decided that the direct route was always the best with Karin and Ichigo. While Karin could pick up on subtler hints most of the time, she was emotional at the moment.

Karin began fingering her black hair. She was trying to figure out what to say, when she really didn't even know what she was feeling. She wished that she was a man sometimes, then maybe she wouldn't have so many hormones and emotions all the damn time.

"Are you upset that Byakuya beat you?" Yoruichi asked, wondering what happened. Karin needed to get her act together, soon. Yoruichi wanted her to get over it soon. Byakuya would be back in a few hours, at the least, and he would be mad at Yoruichi if he saw Karin crying,

Karin looked at Yoruichi like she was crazy. "No. Why would I be upset about that?" She rolled her eyes. Yoruichi gave a small sigh of relief.

This was the Karin that she knew.

"Well, it was right after he hit you with his shikai that you became upset."

"No," Karin interrupted, "It was when he left. He's disappointed in me. I just know it."

Yoruichi looked at Karin in surprise. She had read the signs in Byakuya the moment that she saw him at the Shiba clan home. Just the way he sat a little closer to Karin, the way he always had her go through the door first, and the way he let her tease him without getting stony glares in return.

It did seem like the two of them had become quite cozy with each other over the past few months. But she wasn't aware of Karin's feelings. Her intuition had told her that they were good for each other, as soon as she saw him being lugged on her back.

Yoruichi turned toward Karin, who, she was surprised, was crying once again. Tears streaming down her face, she said, "I don't want to cry. But seeing him leave, and knowing he's disappointed in me, it makes my heart hurt. And I just can't stop. He can be so insufferable at times, but I don't ever want to disappoint him. I just want to make him happy."

"Oh, Karin." Yoruichi said, as they both sat across the hot spring looking at each other. Yoruichi looked at her, with a soft, compassionate gaze. She tried clarifying what happened.

"He didn't leave because he was disappointed or mad at you. Byakuya left because he was angry at himself. I think he went to meditate. He'll be back soon."

Karin looked completely confused at this statement.

"But," she sniffled, "Why would he be mad at himself? He only did what I asked for him to do."

Oh dear Lord. Karin was completely oblivious, it seemed. And Byakuya, most likely, wasn't much better.

Yoruichi sighed. She wasn't planning on playing a therapist this week, but it was obvious that Karin would need some help with all of the new emotions that she was feeling at the moment. The girl had been sheltered so much by Isshin and Ichigo (and Kon, too, of course), she really had no idea that she was in love with a man.

Yoruichi said to Karin, point blank, "I want to know what you two have been up to since you've been here. Don't leave anything out."

And so, Karin told her everything, including the kiss on the stairs in the exploding building and meeting Ginrei Kuchiki.

At the conclusion of her stories, Yoruichi just shook her head. "You've got it bad, Karin-chan."

"What do I have bad?" Karin asked, as she stepped out of the hot spring, and dried herself with a towel. Her shoulder was completely healed now, thanks to the healing waters. She looked better before, but still didn't look her usual self.

"You are in love with Byakuya." Karin looked sheepish at Yoruichi's comment. She even cringed.

She looked startled at Yoruichi. "That's not possible. We're just friends."

"Why is that impossible?" Yoruichi asked curiously. She thought that Karin and Byakuya were an excellent match for each other.

"You're in denial." Yoruichi answered, "Why are you pretending that it's not there?"

Karin was flabbergasted. She spluttered, "What?! No. I'm not pretending...There really is nothing going on."

They both finished dressing, and Karin looked at Yoruichi, who was right in front of her. Yoruichi put her hands on Karin's shoulders.

"Karin, all those things that you were saying: You want him to be happy; you don't want him to be disappointed in you; your heart aching when he left. You are in love with him. Normal friendships can feel that way, but not to the extent that you're describing."

"Wait," Karin interjected.

Yoruichi put her hand up and overrode Karin's objections, "And what about that kiss? And it sounded like he was extremely happy to see you just this morning."

"He was just playing along with the kiss! And, well he was just happy to find out that his grandfather was alive."

"Yep. You're in denial."

"I promise!" Karin said, "If I was in love, I'd know it. Do I find him attractive? Yes. Do I enjoy his company? Yes. Do I have a crush on him? Yes. That's just it though. I have a crush on Byakuya, it can't be more than that."

Yoruichi sighed. This young woman was almost as bullheaded as her brother if she wanted to be.

Karin responded quietly. "Because, it's unrequited. He was married before. And she was most likely, quite lovely. I can't even compare. I feel horrible about being jealous of a dead woman. What kind of person does that?"

"Souls still feel love, Karin." Yoruichi said, "I think the feeling's mutual, but you need to try and hold it together though; Try and stay focused."

Yoruichi then changed the subject. "Now that you're healed up, you ready to get another beating?" Yoruichi gave her mischevious, trademark grin. Karin's face lit up in return.

Yoruichi scored herself one point for knowing how to cheer up Karin. Now, if only she could use hakuda to beat some sense into both Karin and Byakuya.

* * *

Byakuya returned with provisions for both himself and Karin later that evening. As he entered the training area, he noticed that Karin and Yoruichi were missing. He was surprised, wondering where they were when he heard a couple of feminine voices laughing.

One laugh was rambunctious and loud, the other, a little more quiet and slightly gentle. He approached the area where he heard the women laughing and stopped when he saw clothes hanging over an outcropping of rocks.

He stopped, and then he heard Yoruichi taunt, "Byakuya-bo, are you spying on us? I can feel you."

He rolled his eyes, with his cheeks flushed pink at the accusation.

"I brought food. And a few other things." He answered, instead. He then scaled the cliff quickly, holding everything in one hand, and overlooked the training area, thinking to himself. He put everything down and then sat, down on his own, waiting for the two woman to get dry and dressed.

He was still upset with himself for hurting Karin. He was also annoyed at his lack of discipline when he left abruptly. One of the hardest things to get used to again after being released from prison was trying to keep his cool around others, like he used to do long ago. He was acting like he was a teenager again. He was startled out of his thoughts when he noticed Karin and Yoruichi approaching him. His eyes roved over Karin's body, appreciating her feminine curves. They zeroed in on her shoulder, and he was relieved to see it was healed.

He took out a blanket, and like he had seen Karin do a few months before, laid it out, and put out all the food. Karin rummaged in his bags for dishes, and she proceeded to serve the food to everyone else. She usually did this for Byakuya when they lived together, since he wasn't used to doing that kind of stuff himself.

"Thanks for getting the food." Karin said, with a smile toward him. He noticed that her smile wasn't reaching her eyes like it usually did, but she was trying hard to act as normal as possible. She was probably still upset and angry with him.

He nodded noncommittally. They all sat down and started eating. Yoruichi was her usual voracious self, while Karin looked like she was picking at the food. He had made sure to get some of her favorite foods from the Shiba Clan kitchen, but it didn't seem like she had much of an appetite for the meal.

He was about to ask her what was wrong, when Yoruichi told them both something else instead.

"Karin," Yoruich said, "based on your training today, I think I've come to a decision. Although you were doing quite well with your shikai today, you're not prepared physically for the bankai training that your brother did."

Karin didn't look happy hearing that. "Of course," she answered, sounding bitter, sitting with her arms folded. "I know I'm not as strong as Ichigo."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of Karin. It usually takes about ten years, at the least to develop your bankai. This is a, well, non traditional method. You're talented, but..."

"It's fine. I understand. I'm just not as talented as my brother. I know what you mean. Excuse me."

She stood up, bid them good night and left. Byakuya watched Karin leave, confused at her attitude and actions. While he agreed with Yoruichi's assessment, this was the first time that he had seen her so upset about something. Not even when she had died had she sounded so heartbroken.

"You," Yoruichi said pointing her finger at Byakuya, and then proceeded to throw her empty bowl at his head, which he ducked easily.

"What? Is she still mad at me for injuring her?" He asked trying to sound like he didn't care, curious if Yoruichi was privy to what was going on with Karin.

"Are you serious? You two, I swear! You're both suffering from a serious case of miscommunication . You should go see her."

"She is going to sleep." He answered, confused as to why Yoruichi would want him to keep Karin up, when she obviously wanted to go to sleep.

"Unless you talk to her, she probably won't be getting much sleep tonight. I don't think she'll mind if you go and speak with her. It will do you both some good." She then stood up, and left Byakuya to his thoughts.

He stood up, and cleaned up his dishes (he wasn't going to do Yoruichi's. She was certainly still as messy as he remembered.) He took off toward Karin's reiatsu signature, trying to find her. She was currently sitting against a rock, just looking at the ceiling. Her reiatsu was a little off than usual, like she was trying her very best to keep control of it.

He flash stepped over to her. She turned to see him. He sat across from her, folding his legs into a meditative pose. He looked her over, noticing that although she wasn't okay emotionally, at least she was okay physically, at the moment.

He cleared his throat. What he was about to say was hard, but he really wanted to see her happy. He was pretty desperate. The sad look on her face tore at his heart. He was becoming smitten with her more and more each day, it seemed. They only had a week or so left though, he figured that if they survived the assault on the Quincy, and if things settled down, then he may ask permission to get closer to her.

Byakuya cleared his throat a second time. Karin looked at him in concern. "Are you alright?"

"Yes. But, I just... I wanted to," he cringed to himself, "apologize."

Karin blinked her eyes, surprised at his statement.

"For what?" She voiced her confusion.

"For injuring you when we were sparring earlier."

Karin just shook her head. "I never want you to go easy on me. Remember that. How will I ever get better if my mentors don't push me?"

Byakuya internally cringed at the word 'mentor' and then nodded.

She still seemed upset about something, so he just sat across from her, allowing her to think. He figured that if she wanted to share anything with him, she would.

After about ten minutes of silence, Byakuya glanced at Karin. She had that look on her face. The look where he could tell that she was thinking too much. She caught him glancing at her.

"I...I'm sorry that I disappointed you. I didn't even last a minute against you." Karin eventually said.

She had been thinking of the best way to apologize to him. After her discussion with Yoruichi, she was 85% sure that she loved Byakuya, and well, if Yoruichi could tell, she would be worried that he would also.

She was also worried that if he knew how deep her feelings ran, he would break off their friendship in an attempt to distance himself from her, so he wouldn't hurt her feelings when he couldn't return the sentiment.

It was Byakuya's turn to look confused at Karin's apology. "You did not disappoint me." He said, shaking his head. "Why would you think that?"

He asked her, desiring to know how she had imagined that he was somehow disappointed with her. He was pretty sure that he could never feel that way about her. Even when she made mistakes, her heart was always in the right place, meaning well.

Karin looked at him sheepishly, and then pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin on top. She looked at him pensively and shrugged her shoulders, not making eye contact.

"You left so suddenly after we fought..."

Now, Byakuya understood what Yoruichi was saying.

"I was angry at my lack of control. You shouldn't have been hurt that badly by Sebonzakura." He said, looking at her. Her eyebrows were furrowed in confusion.

"But," Karin asked, "Why were you angry with yourself? You were only doing it to help me."

Byakuya said, so quietly that it was barely heard by Karin, "I still hurt you."

Karin shook her head at his answer. "It wasn't that bad. It didn't take Yoruichi long at all to heal it with kido, and then the hot springs helped too."

She moved closer to him, wanting to see how he would react to what she was about to do. It was quite bold of her, considering how old-fashioned Byakuya was most of the time. She was right in front of him, and she pulled her kimono down from her right shoulder.

"See for yourself, it's not bad." Karin watched Byakuya for a reaction. She noticed his eyes looked at her bare shoulder. Part of her bandaged chest was showing as well, but he wasn't looking at that at all.

He looked into her eyes after examining her shoulder. She looked right back at him. "See? I told you that I was fine. No more guilty feelings," she said with a smile as she shrugged the sleeve back up to cover her.

Karin looked at Byakuya. There was no sign at all on his face or in his eyes that he was attracted to her. He was still an amazing man. Even if he couldn't return her feelings, he cared about her as a friend. Was it any wonder that she had fallen for him?

"You're such a kind man, you know that? Considering that you're a noble, arrogant, quincy and hollow-killing, fugitive."

He smiled slightly at the last bit. He decided to change the subject quickly, now that they had their communication issue figured out. He was also trying to get the image of Karin's bare shoulder out of his mind. He had seen her without fabric covering her shoulders before, but the way that the kimono fell off of her made it even more attractive to him.

"You shouldn't be upset with yourself about not meeting Yoruichi's requirements. It usually takes most shinigami at least 10 years after they've already reached shikai to achieve it. I say you're right on track for how long it took myself or Hitsugaya-taicho. Plus, that three day training your brother did was in desperation and it is highly dangerous. After all, he needed it so that he could actually defeat me in battle and save Rukia."

"I could handle it." She said, staring defiantly at him.

"I'm sure you could. But, I've been here, making sure that you survive Soul Society. I'm not going to risk your health over bankai training. You're father would kill me."

Karin once again changed the subject,randomly, asking him, "Did you know my father? You sounded surprised that he was my dad."

"Yes. We became captains around the same time. I never interacted with him often. He was so foolhardy, and he didn't care much about being a captain or nobility. Never took anything seriously. And then one day, he was just gone."

"What squad was he in?" She asked, wondering how much more information she could glean from him.

"The tenth. Matsumoto was his lieutenant and Captain Hitsugaya was his 3rd seat. He was promoted to captain once your father never reappeared."

"Are you serious? Those...idiots! This whole time they didn't tell me who I really was! I'm going to kill Toshiro." She said, with her gray eyes glinting sinisterly.

"You should wait until after the assault." Byakuya answered, looking at her. "We'll need him alive to help."

Karin sighed disappointed. "I guess. That jerk." She mumbled.

Byakuya found himself thinking, 'I wonder what kind of relationship she has with Captain Hitsugaya'. He felt slightly jealous that they had known each other for so long.

"Well, thanks for telling me all that. I know that I could just wait to see my Dad, but, ever since I found out that I'm a Shiba and that my mom was a Quincy, I feel like I don't know anything at all about myself."

Byakuya looked at her curiously. Her origins were a mystery. But, did it matter where she came from as long as she was the person in front of him?

"You're Karin. Isn't that enough?" He replied quietly.

Karin looked at him seriously, and then said laughed. "Yeah. I guess you're right!"

"You should know by now that I'm usually right." He replied with a straight face.

Karin rolled her eyes. "Of course, honorable Kuchiki-dono. Please forgive me for ever underestimating your mental prowess." She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I accept your apology." He then gave her a light smile that she returned. This time, her smile reached her eyes.

They continued sitting with each other in silence, enjoying each other's company. He noticed her falling asleep against the rock, which wasn't very comfortable. She had a long day, exerting herself and receiving an injury. He noticed her sleeping pad, blanket and pillow only a little further away.

He walked over to her and gently lifted her up in his arms. Her eyes fluttered open slightly, looking at him. "What? Where are we going?"

"Shh. You'll give yourself neck problems sleeping against that rock." He walked her over to the sleeping pad, put her down and put her blanket it over. Her eyes fluttered.

"Where will you be?" She asked, with a yawn.

"Not far. Sleep well." He said, and then turned to leave.

"You too, Byakuya. Good night." Her eyes then closed completely.

* * *

Byakuya went to find his provisions, only to see that they were gone. His eyes narrowed. He went to find Yoruichi, whom he was positive was behind them being gone.

"Oh-ho, Byakuya," she said as he found her in her own little area, about 100 yards from where Karin had chosen to sleep.

"My things?" He asked, reaching for his blanket and sleeping pad. She shunpoed with everything she had a little further away.

"Not so fast, Byakuya-bo." She said, teasing him. He frowned. He was tired and frankly, he just wanted to sleep. "I have to ask you a question."

She leaned close to him,and asked quietly, "What have you done to that girl?"

"What are you inferring?" He asked bluntly, not caring to play her games.

"Isn't it obvious? Are you in denial also?"

"What business of your's is it if I am?" He retorted.

"I want her to be at the top of her form when it comes time to infiltrate Seireitei."

He shook his head as he looked at Yoruichi. "She'll be going with you and Soi fon then?"

"That's the plan. You can't have her to yourself all the time." Yoruichi replied.

"Did you know that she's part Quincy?" He asked Yoruichi abruptly.

Yoruichi nodded, slowly. "Bambietta told her, right before we blew the place up. Do you think she'll be so willing to help with killing Quincy, knowing that they're a part of her heritage also?"

"I think you're just protective of her," Yoruichi said, teasing him.

"She's a good soul reaper, but I can't see her as an assassin. She'll kill if she needs to, but taking out that many people without them defending themselves would be hard for her."

"I think she'll be fine. Honestly, Byakuya, I think you just want to keep her out of trouble."

"Of course I do," he mumbled, "she attracts it like a magnet."

"I just remember a certain older brother who made sure that his little sister didn't get a high ranking shinigami position because he didn't want her to get hurt. It doesn't seem like it's too far-fetched to do that for a woman that he loves." Yoruichi said. Byakuya paled a bit at the comment. He looked at Yoruichi in the face.

Yoruichi smiled and laughed at the look on his face. So, he reciprocated her feelings? This was getting interesting.

"Well, Byakuya, you've got it bad." She then looked at him seriously, "You may not know how she feels, but I think to everyone else it's obvious. You two are good for each other."

"It's not that easy," he said, "not until this is all over with the Quincy. I have nothing to offer her now."

"Have you thought that you, yourself are enough?"

"I would still need to provide for her. I can't in conscience, go to her father with nothing to show."

Yoruichi blinked. It was a rational thought, if not at all romantic. Well, Byakuya wasn't known for being the most romantic man out there. But, then again, he had fallen head over heels for a peasant and married her against the wishes of his family. Maybe he was more romantically inclined than he let on. Or he was just full of contradictions. She decided to take mercy on him. She threw him his bags of provisions.

"Here you go. Sleep well, Lover-boy!" She then turned and flash-stepped away.

* * *

Yoruichi was glad to see that everything seemed to resolve itself between Karin and Byakuya. Things were back to normal between the two of them.

Of course, that wasn't to say that she couldn't tell what was going on between the both of them. The attraction and tension between them was completely obvious.

The one time that Yoruichi suggested that Byakuya do something about the tension, on the second day, she was completely ignored by Karin, who was within earshot and given a death glare by Byakuya, who for some reason must have thought the idea was completely inappropriate.

All she had suggested was them having quality time together. Of course, it may not have been the quality time, but the idea of them taking a bath together in the small medicinal hot spring that may have been slightly inappropriate.

Byakuya insisted on bathing himself, waiting for the women to go first. Of course, Yoruichi crashed as much as she could, just to get Byakuya rattled up. He usually just turned that stony glare on her, never blinking or looking surprised, each and every time, his eyes never drifting below her face.

Overall, she enjoyed observing their interactions, despite the prudish behavior between the two of them.

Byakuya was subtle, with a hand on the small of her back when she tripped over the uneven terrain in the trianing area. A hand, that was removed quickly, once she was upright and walking again. Yoruichi was suspicious that Karin was tripping on purpose, since she was normally quite coordinated.

His hand was also there, every time she fell in one of their battles. He was there to help her up, each and every time. He really was quite the gentleman, Yoruichi had mused to herself.

During their breaks and mealtimes, they always sat close together, with their knees barely touching, a small upturn on the corner of his mouth looking when Karin told a joke or teased him about something.

Karin practically glowed whenever she saw Byakuya, with a smile that reached her eyes and seemed to light up the entire training arena. It was funny, because Yoruichi never remembered Karin smiling as near as much before. When they first met, she was more serious, like Ichigo. But all of the Soul Reapers that they had met, had broken her out of her shell. And now, around Byakuya, the smile barely came off of her face.

She was completely smitten . Besides the smiles, there was the awkward apologizing every time they accidentally touched. When she was nervous or embarrassed, Yoruichi noticed that she fiddled with her hair (usually pulled back in a pony tail). The habit was so girly, that Yoruichi believed that Karin didn't even know she was doing it herself. She did it often around Byakuya, while they spoke together.

Needless to say, but it was by far some of the most entertaining days for Yoruichi. She wished she had popcorn and Kisuke with her. Because, he would be enjoying the show as much as she was.

Byakuya trained Karin with her shikai. They meditated first, which Byakuya insisted on doing every single day. They then sparred each other with their shikai. She was becoming better at controlling her Getsuga Tenshou. She was also getting better at dodging Byakuya's attacks. He wasn't taking it easy on her. But, she wasn't progressing like she wanted.

He thought her strengths were in hakuda and hoho, just like Yoruichi and Soi-fon. She was excellent at kido as well. She didn't have the brute strength that Ichigo has, so he figured that she would have to take the time and develop her zanpakto skills. She was doing well already, but had a habit of comparing herself to her brother. Having no siblings himself, he didn't know why she did that. It frustrated him to no end.

Because although, Ichigo had the huge amount of reiatsu, brute strength, endurance and zanpakto skills, she had excellent skills as well. She had the control over her reiatsu; the kido skill; hoho and hakuda. She was a bit more well-rounded than her older brother.

He was positive that she would get bankai, but it would take more time, like most soul reapers.

One of Karin's favorite things to do was to sit and watch Yoruichi and Byakuya race and fight. They were both highly talented and skilled. By observing them during their matches she could pick up new tricks or strategies that they had each personally perfected.

The hakuda and hoho battles slightly favored Yoruichi. Byakuya was more attuned to fighting with Sebonzakura, which he didn't hesitate to do, even though Yoruichi never fought with her own zanpakto. Yoruichi was slightly faster than Byakuya. She always rubbed it in his face that he could never beat her.

Unknown to Karin, Yoruichi was using the younger woman as a means to get to Byakuya while they sparred together.

She constantly made little asides to him as they fought, including: "She's watching you. Probably checking out that nice ass of yours."; "If I win, you have to drag her to the the hot springs and bathe together."; and "I know of another way you can use this energy. I'm sure Karin won't mind at all. Just ask her yourself."

Most of the time, it would end with Yoruichi laughing like a madwoman and Byakuya fighting against her harder, annoyed with her teasing words and his obvious affection for Karin.

Both Byakuya and Yoruichi trained Karin in kido and hoho. And Yoruichi sparred Karin with hakuda.

On their sixth day in the underground training area, Karin and Yoruichi were engaged in a sparring battle. They were both going at it hard, with no letting up on either side. Yoruichi was clearly at an advantage, but Karin was tenacious. No matter how many times that she was knocked down, she kept getting up and continued on as if nothing had happened.

Karin furiously moved toward Yoruichi, trying to land a punch, kick, knee, elbow—really, anything on her. Yoruichi battled back also, with a grin on her face. She liked training with Karin because she didn't whine and was quite skilled, considering how few years she had in experience as a shinigami.

Yoruichi feinted with a punch with her right hand. Karin moved her arms up in an attempt to block the punch. Then, Yoruichi quickly kicked Karin in the stomach, sending her flying into an outcropping of sharp rock. When Karin hit the rock, there was a sickening crack and a cry of pain.

Yoruichi and Byakuya were both there in a flash. She was on her side, in the fetal position, her hand on her collar bone. She was covered in scrapes, cuts and blood.

Yoruichi moved forward immediately, with Byakuya following. They both kneeled down next to her.

"What hurts, Karin?" Yoruichi asked. She moved her fingers over Karin's kimono removing it, and only leaving her in the wrappings that covered her breasts and the upper part of her stomach. Yoruichi felt gently around her bandages, where most of her ribs were covered. Karin gasped in pain.

"You might have some broken or cracked ribs," Yoruichi said, then moved to unbind Karin.

"Wait," Byakuya said.

"Stop being a prude, Byakuya, I have to heal her."

"Yoruichi." He said seriously. When she looked up, he reached toward Karin's hand that was covering her collar bone. He took her hand gently, and removed it. Karin whimpered slightly, trying to fight against Byakuya who was holding her still with a solemn look on his face.

"Oh dear." Yoruichi said, looking at the state of Karin's clavicle. Sticking out of the skin, surrounded by blood, was her collarbone.

"I can't heal this. Can you Byakuya?" He thought quickly.

"No. We need someone with more experience."

"I agree. I want you to stay here with Karin. I'll go get help. Hopefully Orihime or Tessai are here."

Byakuya nodded in agreement. He maneuvered Karin, gently so that she was against a smoother part of the rock, and tried to remember his training for basic medical injuries. She was shaking. She was starting to go into shock.

"I'll be right back," he said, turning and flash stepping to over where some supplies were. He grabbed some things and quickly stepped back over to Karin. Her face was becoming paler and paler. She hadn't lost a ton of blood yet, but she had loss some and the pain must have been rough.

He grabbed something to wrap her shoulder in to help with the pain before Yoruichi was able to return. He sat in front of her.

"I want to wrap that shoulder up, see if we can make a sling. We're close to Seireitei, so if we have to flee, I want it to be bound up so it won't hurt you so much." He felt like he was talking to a ghost, since she was getting paler and paler, and was starting to look sleepy.

"Karin, don't sleep. Breath deeply. Put your good arm around my shoulder." He helped her move the arm around his shoulder. Using his knee and leg, he put it around her to support her back which was now off from resting against the rock. He then moved his hands to her other shoulder and arm. He cleaned up the blood from around the wound, and winced, looking at the compound fracture. It looked painful.

"Am I going to die again?" A quiet voice asked in his ear. He looked over at Karin. She wasn't thinking clearly, you could see it in her eyes. He wondered how much of this conversation she would remember when she awoke.

"No." He said, in his deep, calm voice, "You're not going to die."

"Good. I don't want you to die either. Why am I the one who always gets injured?" Byakuya's lips twitched in a smile. She was completely out of it.

"Because it happens when you're young and inexperienced. You're not as experienced, you don't know how to protect yourself as well as others. You'll learn, in time."

Karin just rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Can I please just get over this getting hurt all the time?"

He used the wrap he had found, and worked to bind Karin's shoulder and arm into a sling. He then put a pillow behind her back, covered her in a blanket, and raised her feet on a boulder that wasn't lying too far away.

He moved away from her slightly, now that her arm was in the sling, and there was nothing else they could do but wait for help to come. She whined at the loss of contact. She looked at him with a slight pout on her lips. He moved closer and she turned her head toward him. He leaned back against the rock where she was now snuggled against.

He was startled when he felt a touch on his hand. "Thank you, Byakuya." He felt her hand squeeze his and then release it. They sat in silence for help to come.

It was only a few minutes later that Yoruichi showed up with Tessai.

"Kuchiki-sama," he said politely, nodding toward Byakuya. Byakuya nodded back in response. He moved away from Karin's side. She looked at Tessai.

"Tessai-san." She gave him a wane smile. He came up to her, and looked over her injuries.

"We've missed you in the living world, Karin-chan. And it looks like you've been getting into plenty of trouble here, if what I hear is correct."

"You shouldn't believe everything you hear," she said, with a small smile. She tried sitting up, but found herself in too much pain. Tessai looked over her collarbone, ribs, and the rest of her body.

"You did well, Kuchiki-sama, with making this sling." He then turned to Yoruichi, "No spinal, neck, head or vertebrae injuries, thankfully. I think it's safe to move her."

He then turned to Byakuya, "Would you mind, if you carried her back? Gently, now."

"I can walk," Karin insisted. Byakuya ignored her, and putting one arm around her back and another under her knees, he lifted.

Yoruichi answered Karin by saying, "But you can't flash step away, and we're close enough to Seireitei, that we need to hurry once we're out of this spot. Byakuya is the strongest and fastest of the three of us, so he'll carry you." This was a complete lie. Yoruichi and Tessai had conspired about it before making it back and agreed that Byakuya would be the one to carry her.

He looked down at her in his arms. "Once we're in the clear, you can try walking. But, I think you may be in shock still. The sooner you are treated, the better."

"I agree." Tessai said, nodding his head. "Let's go."

And with that, they flash-stepped back to the Shiba clan home. Byakuya put down Karin after they were in the clear, at her insistence that she should walk. She made it only a few steps before she began losing her balance. He caught her, picked her up once again, and took off.

Karin wasn't completely out of it, but her mind was fuzzy enough. She knew that she liked being held in Byakuya's arms, and that he was quite gentle. He made her seem light, with how easily he seemed to hold her up and how fast he was going at the same time. There was also a determined look on his face that she watched out of the corned or her eye.

They made it to the Shiba clan home in one piece. Waiting for them were some of the reinforcements that were beginning to pour in. Karin was embarrassed when she saw her father there, who looked concerned. Rangiku and Toshiro were also there with Renji and Rukia, standing with Ginrei.

Byakuya gave them all a look as he came in, silencing them. He made his way to the room that Karin was staying in, noticing that he was followed by a couple of people. He gently put her down on her sleeping pad. He then turned to see Isshin, along with Yoruichi, Tessai and Ginrei.

"What happened?" Isshin demanded at Byakuya, looking at his pale daughter. He rushed to her side.

"It was a training accident." Yoruichi answered, "My fault. I wasn't aware of my surrounding and she went hard into some sharp rock. She's lucky there were no spinal or neck injuries."

Isshin looked upset, sitting down on one side of Karin. He looked over her injuries.

"Don't worry, old man. I'll be fine. I've had worse." Karin told her father while looking up at him from the futon.

Tessai stepped forward, asking everyone to leave, except Byakuya and Isshin. Byakuya looked surprised that he was asked to stay in the room.

"I'll need your help Isshin. It's a compound fracture. We'll need to make sure there's no infection." Tessai then turned to Byakuya.

"Kuchiki-sama, I need you to hold her arms and shoulders down."

"What?" Karin asked, her eyes looking apprehensive. She had a feeling that she knew where this was going.

"We can't wait for Orihime, unfortunately. She is due to come tomorrow with Ichigo." Isshin told Karin, trying to keep her calm.

"If we wait that long for Orihime to come, you could get a deadly infection that is irreversible. I have to set the bone before I can heal it." Tessai insisted.

Karin began shaking her head. "I'll take the chance. Nobody is setting this bone."

"No you won't." Isshin responded, seriously. "It will hurt Karin, but it's the only thing we can do right now."

Karin turned toward Byakuya, "Tell them I'll be fine. I've had worst than this."

He shook his head. He had seen bones set before. It usually seemed quite painful. It was no wonder she didn't want to go through with it. But, if it was all that they could do to ensure her safety, then he wouldn't disagree.

"I'm sorry Karin. I agree with them."

Karin, closed her eyes, tight.

"Try to relax, Karin-chan." Tessai said, staring at Karin with the tense look on her face.

"Just get it over with." Karin said, closing her eyes tightly.

"Hold her down, Kuchiki-sama." Tessai said, looking pointedly at Byakuya.

He reached forward, took off the sling from her arm, and looked at the injury. He definitely had to set it before he could begin healing it of the infection that was already taking place.

"Alright, on 3." Karin tensed. Isshin had his hands on her ankles, while Byakuya had one hand on her good shoulder, while the was waiting to be of use on the side.

"1..2..3" Tessai moved his hands quickly. Karin screamed loudly. She kicked out and tried thrashing from the pain, but Byakuya and Isshin managed to hold her down. She whimpered, and breathed deeply, trying to catch her breath from the pain. There were tears in her eyes, but they weren't falling.

Byakuya found his hand moving to touch her cheek. It was an unconscious maneuver, but seeing her in pain made him want to help her.

He assured her quietly, "It's done now. You'll feel better soon."

Isshin looked on at Byakuya and Karin. How the man was keeping Karin calm, he had no idea. The only thought that he had was that he was being replaced. He knew, just looking at the two of them, with Karin's good hand gripping Byakuya's arm tightly, and his hand gently caressing her cheek, that he would not be the primary man in Karin's life anymore. He knew it was normal for children to grow up, fall in love, leave home and have families of their own.

But he was faced with the realization that it was happening to his daughter, not just his son. If they were in a happier situation, he would be rejoicing at Karin finding someone. But, with the threat of the upcoming battle looming in the background, he found himself solemn, hoping that Byakuya would survive for his daughter. It wouldn't do for Karin to survive a war, and be lost to the heartache of a never realized love and relationship. Karin had to survive, he wouldn't let himself think of any other scenario in which she passed on from this world as well. But if Byakuya would die, she wouldn't be the same.

It was too late for the two of them. Isshin could see that they were so enveloped in each others lives, it would break either of their hearts if one of them was left behind.

After Tessai was done attending to Karin's shoulder and collarbone, Tessai moved his hands to Karin's bandages, and undid the bindings to get to her ribs. He moved his hands over and began healing her ribs of the breaks and cracks. He then turned to all the small scrapes, bruises and cuts that she had accumulated from her battle with Yoruichi and the sharp rocks.

She was still awake when he finished healing her. She looked at Byakuya, who was staring at Tessai.

Tessai looked at Isshin and Byakuya. "She's all healed. She'll need plenty of rest, and won't be able to use that arm for a couple of days. If Orihime comes soon, though, she'll be able to restore her completely back to normal."

"I'm here, you know." Karin said, looking at Tessai-san. She looked at him. "Can I finally go to sleep now?"

"I already thought you were asleep. Kuchiki-sama is doing a good job of keeping you quiet."

Karin just laughed, and said, "Thank you." She then looked at Byakuya and smiled. She closed her eyes, with him still sitting by her, and fell asleep.

Shortly after she fell asleep, Byakuya and Isshin left the room together.

"I just wanted to thank you, Kuchiki-sama, for watching over my daughter for me. It seems to me that she is more at peace here, than she ever really was in the living world."

Byakuya only nodded, looking over at Isshin, curious as to what he was trying to say.

"Still a man of few words, I see." He said, laughing. He then looked seriously at Byakuya. "I heard that Kukaku told you of my true identity. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you earlier, but I left behind the Shiba name a long time ago, and willingly took my wife's name instead."

"You will need to explain yourself to Karin." Byakuya told him, almost sternly, "She has been confused about things ever since she found out about her mother being a Quincy as well."

"How did she find out about that?" Isshin asked, confused.

"The Sternritter Bambietta told her." Byakuya said honestly, not thinking of any other way to say it.

Isshin stopped and almost glared at Byakuya. "What have you two been up to? When did you run into another Sternritter? Was she the one killed in the explosion?"

Byakuya told him the story, reluctantly, making sure to keep out the part where he practically made out with his daughter on the staircase. Isshin was unpredictable. He had no idea how he would have reacted to that one.

Isshin only shook his head. "Well, as much as I wish I could protect my daughters all the time, I know it's not possible. Plus, Karin is her own person. I have to trust her." He then sighed at the thought of his daughter, so grown up, blowing up buildings and falling in love it seemed. "Still, I'm glad that she had you with her. Who knows how much more trouble she would have been in."

Byakuya only nodded as they found themselves in front of the dining room. The door was still closed., even though there were loud voices from inside the room. Byakuya moved to open the door, when Isshin stopped his hand.

"Wait, Kuchiki-sama. I... Thank you. When you're ready, know that you have my permission. I approve whole-heartedly." Isshin told him seriously. He then opened the door and stepped inside. He greeted everyone with his rambunctious, crazy nature.

Byakuya was stunned at what had just transpired between himself and Isshin. How was that man able to keep such an insane facade constantly?

Ginrei looked at Byakuya as he sat down. "How is Karin-san?" Byakuya reached for a bowl of food at the table and began eating.

"She's resting," he said. "Now we just wait for Orihime to help her heal a little bit quicker."

"I see." Ginrei said. "How was the training?" Byakuya thought back to the first day through today's incident. It hadn't been his best training experience. Maybe he would be able to concentrate better if Karin wasn't everywhere. The problem was always there. Like at the moment, even though Karin was in her room resting, it was like he could still sense her. He remembered the touch she had on his arm, and the smell of her hair.

He should probably give up. It was becoming a lost cause.

"It was tolerable," Byakuya answered as he continued eating his food.

"Well, I am glad that she is okay." He then changed the subject to something he was curious about, "Did Isshin say something to you when you came in? You looked a little shocked."

"It was nothing, really."

"Oh. Based on the look on your face, I thought he had offered you his daughter's hand in marriage."

Byakuya's eyes widened. There was an almost playful look on Ginrei's face. Time had changed him as much as it had changed Byakuya.

"Hmm... interesting." Grandpa Kuchiki's answer, "I guess I'll have to pay Kukaku soon."

"Excuse me?" Byakuya asked, clearly at a loss.

"I bet that you would ask Isshin for permission. She bet that her uncle would give you permission without you asking. She won." He then took a sip of tea like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Byakuya was angry. Did these people not realize they were in the middle of a war? His eyes hardened as he looked at Kukaku, who gave a smile and raised her tea cup to him. He excused himself from the table, stood up, and left. He went back to his room, back to his solitude to meditate and regain control of his emotions.

* * *

"What was that about?" Rukia asked, seeing her brother flee from the dinner table.

"Nothing," Kukaku, Isshin and Ginrei all chimed in together to say.

Ginrei narrowed his eyes at Kukaku, "You wouldn't have asked your uncle to help with our wager, would you?"

"Of course not, Ginrei-sama." Kukaku's eyes sparkled at the question.

"Hmm..."

"Shall I go see him?" Rukia asked, worried about her brother. He was polite when he ate, but he still ate large amounts of food usually. And now, he had left his first bowl of food on the table, only half full.

"He's fine, Rukia. Give him some time to himself." Ginrei insisted.

The rest of the table continued eating and talking to themselves.

After the plates were cleared off the table, everyone went to sleep, waiting in anticipation for the rest of the company to arrive.

* * *

Breakfast the next morning was the usual affair at the Shiba house. Everyone got up at their own times and had breakfast. Byakuya went up with Karin, whose collarbone was still sore to get breakfast. They saw, as they entered the kitchen that nobody else was in there. They were welcomed by the caretakers, as usual, and got their food.

Karin was finding it hard to carry the second plate. The collarbone seemed to effect here entire right arm. Byakuya offered to hold it for her. In the shadows of the kitchen, peeking behind an almost closed door were Rangiku, Rukia, and randomly, enough, Renji, who was dragged by Rukia to spy on Byakuya.

Rukia, concerned by Byakuya's behavior the evening before, wanted to know what was going on. She heard him get up in the morning and head toward another door. She watched him, knock, and then enter, and then leave. He waited outside for a few minutes before the door slid open.

It was Karin's room. Rangiku gasped in surprise at seeing Karin walk out the door with a sling over her right arm and shoulder. Rukia slapped a hand over her mouth. Rangiku turned with wide eyes, practically bouncing up and down in excitement. Renji just looked bored behind them.

They followed them upstairs to the kitchen, and snuck in from the secret room to spy on them in the kitchen. They were watching as Byakuya took the second plate from Karin's trembling hand and held it himself while he balanced the other two plates (for himself) on the opposite arm. Rukia's eyes widened and she smiled at the gesture.

And then Rangiku pushed forward to listen more at the door, in hopes to get some good gossip, when she hit the door handle and all three of them fell through.

Byakuya and Karin turned to see where the noise came from. Rangiku and Rukia were completely sprawled out on the ground, with Renji on top of both of them. It was a good thing that Rangiku was there as well, otherwise things would have looked a lot more compromising with just him and Rukia.

Karin blinked in surprise. Byakuya just glared at them. He had already known that they were following him. While Rukia was a bit quieter, Matsumoto and Renji were a bit louder with their feet.

"What were you doing?" Byakuya asked, his voice stern and his face serious. Karin looked at him from the corner of her eye. He looked like he was reprimanding some lower ranking soldiers. Which, she figured he kind of was.

Renji helped Rukia, and then Rangiku stand up. "Sorry, sir. We were just wondering where the food was and decided to follow you." He looked sheepishly at Byakuya as he said it.

"Hmm.." was Byakuya's noncomittal answer.

Karin just smiled at their appearance. "It's good to see all of you," she said. "Come get some breakfast , and we'll all eat together."

Thankful that Karin changed the subject, they gathered food and followed Karin and Byakuya to their room where they all ate awkwardly in silence.

They then asked Karin about how she felt in Soul Society and told her a little bit about what had been going on in the living world. According to them, the rest of the Soul Reapers would be joining up with them in the next couple of days.

Later that day, Karin was trying to sneak out of the house. She kept was stopped by her annoying father, however.

"KARIN!" He would bellow for everyone to hear, "Come to Daddy!" She stared stonily at him, and much to everyone's surprise, actually sat by him in the sitting room. As the rest of the room returned to it's loud chatter and laughing, Karin was surprised when her father put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

"I've missed you, Karin. I'm proud of you though." Karin blinked, and took a look at her father. Gone was the outrageous mask that he had on all the time growing up. She was seeing a glimmer of the man that he was as a Soul Reaper.

She said, "I've missed you too." He started to twitter about something when she put up her hand, "But not as much as Yuzu or Ichigo."

He smiled at the comment. He glanced at Karin, and noticed her looking at Byakuya. He was sitting next to his grandfather and Rukia, just speaking slowly to them.

"He's a good man. I heartily approve." Isshin told Karin quietly.

"What are you talking about?" Karin asked, looking at her father in confusion.

"When you first met Kuchiki-sama, I felt like there was a chance for us to win this war. And then, I noticed you two becoming closer as friends. When you died, I knew you would be safe if he was with you. I never would have expected you to grow to love someone like him, I don't know why though. You two compliment each other well."

"You're senile," Karin scoffed. She got up from her seat next to her father as Isshin started to protest, and without looking back, marched over toward Yoruichi who was speaking with Kukaku.

A couple of hours later, a loud knock was heard on the door, and many foot steps were heard, coming into the home. After a few minutes, the door of the sitting room opened. In came Soi-fon, Nanao Ise, Shuhei Hisagi, Shunsui Kyoraku, Jushiro Ukitake, then Orihime and Ichigo.

Ichigo looked around the room. There was only one person he wanted to see there. He first looked toward Byakuya, who nodded at him silently. But then he spotted her next to Yoruichi. She had a hand on one side of her collarbone, just sitting with Yoruichi looking around. He marched over to her, pulled her from the ground all at once, and gave her a huge hug. She blinked back the tears in her eyes.

"Ichigo," she gasped.

"Karin." He held her tight. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you." He pulled her back from him, with his hand on her collarbone. She winced as he looked her over.

"Are you alright?"

"No. You're hurting me. Can't you see the sling, you dumbass?" Karin answered, trying to pull off his hands from her shoulders.

"How?"

"I was injured during some training a day ago. Now, please let go."

He let go of her reluctantly. He watched as she gingerly touched the shoulder and winced again.

He looked over at Byakuya, and then turned back to Karin, "Did Byakuya do that? I knew he was too strong to train with you."

Karin looked at him, her eyes narrowed. "What did you say?"

"I said he shouldn't be training with you if you get that hurt. He's too strong."

Byakuya, who had heard every word, was starting to get up from his seat to come to Karin's aid. He walked over quietly, aware of the rest of the room, who were watching the Kurosaki sibling reunion.

"He...didn't..." Karin started to say.

"Don't stick up for him Karin, he should be able to control himself better."

Byakuya stopped next to Orihime. He greeted her, and then told her about the extent of Karin's injuries. Orihime's eyes widened.

"Ichigo! Shut up! I wasn't training with him when this happened!"

At this point, with Karin and Ichigo yelling back and forth at each other, it looked like they were about to rip each other's throats out. Byakuya stepped up to Karin, and put his hand on her left elbow. She instantly quieted and looked at him curiously.

"Come, let's get your injury healed." He guided her toward her room, with Orihime, and based on his loud stomps, Ichigo following behind.

Byakuya led her to the room she was staying in and helped her onto the sleeping pad. Sitting up, she glared at Ichigo as he came in.

"You're embarrassing me Ichigo, just like Dad does. So shut up or leave." She then turned to Orihime, and gave her a big smile.

"I'm glad to see you Orihime. Are you keeping my brother in line?"

Orihime returned the smile and put a hand behind her head, "I try. It's hard though, sometimes." She then looked at Karin, "Captain Kuchiki told me of your injuries. I should have you back to normal soon."

She lifted her hands over Karin and said, "Shoten Kisshun, I reject." Light glowed from her hands. Karin found instant relief in her collarbone and ribs. She overall felt so much better than before. She had more energy and there was no more pain or stiffness.

Orihime lifted her hands and smiled at Karin. "Feel better?" Karin touched her collarbone, and shoulder and then smiled.

"Yes," Karin said, "Thank you." She looked up, and noticed Ichigo staring at Orihime,with a soft look in his eyes.

"So," Ichigo said, pointing to Byakuya, "If you didn't get hurt training with Byakuya, who were you training with?"

"Yoruichi, of course."

Ichigo nodded his head at her answer.

"Have you picked up bankai?" Karin's face soured. "No. Not everyone is a prodigy like you."

Byakuya took the moment to clear his throat.

"There's a meeting in an hour." He nodded to Ichigo, and then looked back at Karin, his stare lingering on her a split second longer than usual. He then left.

Ichigo and Orihime sat down across from Karin, thankful that at least Byakuya was sensitive enough to give them some privacy.

"How have you been here?" Orihime asked sweetly. "We've missed you so much."

Karin answered, "Just fine. We've been watching each other's backs. Everything is good."

"What's going on between you and Byakuya, Karin?"

Karin sighed. She looked up at Ichigo. "Nothing, of course." Even if there was something going on, did her extremely overprotective brother think she would tell him? Honestly, did he even think at all?

"You don't expect me to believe that, do you?" Orihime glanced in between the two siblings. Orihime thought that something might be going on. Either Ichigo could tell that there was something going on between the two of them or he was overly suspicious.

Karin looked at Ichigo, shaking her head, not wanting to talk to her own brother about her love life or lack thereof.

Ichigo interrupted her thoughts. "Seriously, Karin, if you two are sleeping together..."

Karin glared at him, and then smacked him in the side of the head.

"OW!"

"What the hell would make you say that?!" Karin demanded, angry at the question. Why is it that everyone thought they were sleeping together? Did her own brother think she was a slut?

"I don't know!" Ichigo shrugged, "Just the way the two of you seem to look at each other..."

Karin looked at him angrily.

"First of all, Ichigo, what business of it is yours? Second, do you really think I would be going around Soul Society, traveling with Byakuya when our lives were in danger and sleep together? And third, don't you know how old-fashioned and prudish Byakuya is anyway?"

"Are you saying that you would if he wasn't such a prude?"

Karin was about to start tearing her hair out. He was completely missing the point!

"Sorry, I just worry about you, is all. I don't want you to get your heart broken."

"You should be more worried about the battle we're about to instigate in a couple of days against the Quincy." Karin said, still glaring at her brother. She then said goodbye, stood up and left the room.

* * *

She entered the living area, where many were already starting to gather in anticipation for the meeting on their battle. She was called over by Shinji, who introduced her to the vizards that had gathered with him, including Love, Kensei, Rose, Mashiro, Hachi, Lisa, and of course, Hiyori. They all greeted her enthusiastically, making her blush, telling her they had heard about her all over Soul Society.

She was then hailed by Kisuke Uruhara, who having heard all about the observations of her and Byakuya from Yoruichi, had much teasing and asking questions to do. At the end of this conversation, her face was tomato red and she was looking forward to just finding someone with a shred of sanity. She saw him sitting alone, watching those around him with almost cold eyes.

They weren't cold, but they were distant. He felt disconnected from everyone else, she could tell. And why wouldn't he feel disconnected. He had been trapped in prison, separated from everyone else for a long while before he was found. And hardly anybody knew exactly what he had been through besides Karin and now his grandfather.

Byakuya saw her as she came in. She looked annoyed. He wasn't surprised, considering that she had just come in from conversing with her brother. Their conversation had only lasted about ten minutes at the most. It appeared that he had already pissed her off. Her eyes scanned the room, looking for him. He saw her stop a couple of times. The second time she stopped and conversed with Uruhara. He saw her face blush.

The man was probably teasing her about something. She left Uruhara, and walked over to Byakuya, her eyes locked on his. She sat down next to him, sighing in exasperation. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, his eyebrows slightly raised.

"Is it me or all shinigami insane?"

A faint smile spread on Byakuya's face.

"You fit in well." He replied.

Karin gave him a brilliant smile, just content to be near him.

**To be continued...**

******Author's Note: Random training and ByaKarin interactions. I hope you all like it. I was going to cut out the part where Karin gets injured in training, but I think it helps with some character and relationship development and shows that although she is a strong shinigami, she doesn't have the physical endurance that Ichigo has.  
**

****** We are nearing the end of the story. Only about 2-4 more chapters left, including the Epilogue. I will also write out a soundtrack for this fic, all the songs that inspired me with this couple. Thanks for the reviews and keep them coming! **


	10. Chapter 10

**I don't own BLEACH! (big surprise)**

**Chapter 10—War Plans or when Orihime and friends play Karin Barbie Dress Up  
**

The meeting was set up in the sitting room. Karin and Byakuya sat with each other, and were soon joined by Ichigo, Orihime, and Isshin on Karin's side. Ginrei sat on the other side of his grandson.

They quietly made conversation until a loud bang was heard upstairs, and a loud ruckus filled the house. It was almost like an earthquake with all the shaking.

Byakuya closed his eyes and sighed in what looked like very tired patience.

Kyoraku stood up, and said to everyone gathered, "It seems the rest of our reinforcements have come."

As he said this statement, the door slid open to reveal the four remaining shinigami from squad 11.

Kenpachi stood in the doorway, eying the room around him, while Yachiru's eyes looked around the room quickly. She was bouncing on her feet. They zeroed in on Byakuya, who barely had time to brace himself when she threw herself into his arms.

"BYAKUSHI!" Karin sat next to him, trying not to smile at the outlandish display of affection that the smaller girl made towards Byakuya. She had to have the biggest crush on him.

"Candy?" She asked, while sitting in Byakuya's lap, twisting her hand out, palm up while asking him for the treat. He just looked at her and shook his head silently, attempting to pry her off of his body.

"Hey," Karin said, poking the little girl in the ribs.

She had decided to take pity on poor Byakuya. Plus, if she could help it, nobody was going to be throwing him or herself in his lap.

"Ask Uruhara-san or Hitsugaya-kun for candy. I bet they have some."

Yachiru turned to look at Karin, and to Karin's surprise, she smiled at her. She nodded her head, and said, "Okay. Thank you Ichi-sissy."

Yachiru then took off in her hunt to find some candy from one of the men that Karin mentioned. Byakuya looked at Karin inquisitively.

"Ichi-sissy?" He asked, with a slight smirk gracing his handsome features.

"Better than Byakushi." Karin retorted casually, with a flick of her hand.

Byakuya had to admit that she had a point.

At this moment, Shunsui Kyoraku and Jushiro Ukitake stood in the middle of the room.

Ukitake started the meeting. "Welcome, friends and comrades. We're lucky to have so many of us here. There are a few items of business that we'll get to."

The older captain looked around the room with a small smile on his face.

"Before we start with our briefing for the battle in two days time, we'd like to hear from a few people. Captains Zaraki, Hirako, Soi Fon, Hitsugaya, Kuchiki and Kyoraku will speak to us about what they have been up to the last seven years."

Captain Ukitake continued, "I think, in order for us to fully combat the Quincy forces, we need to piece together some things that happened since we were forced to retreat or were imprisoned."

Ukitake then said, "Captain Zaraki, if you please."

Zaraki, who was standing up against a wall already, with his arms folded, stayed where he was.

"Pretty simple. We fought, and fought, and fought. I don't think we realized they were pushing us out of Seireitei until it was too late. We found our way to the rougher districts. The Quincy could care less about any districts over the 20s. We just did what we always do: pick fights and win. We didn't keep it a secret who we were. Just living the life." He ended his statement with a creepy grin.

"Uh, thank you, Captain Zaraki," Ukitake said. He then gestured to Shinji. "Your turn Shinji."

"Same as Zaraki, but we've done more training than just fighting. We contacted the other vizards in the world of the living and we kept in contact with each other. The morale in the districts is even lower than it was before the Quincy took over, which is saying something. I think most of the people are content to let the Shinigami just die out though, cause it's not like we helped them all that much anyway." He ended his statement with a nonchalant shrug.

Other captains nodded their heads, contemplating the statement that Shinji made. It was true. Why would the souls risk their second lives in Soul Society if they had no reason to?

"Captain Soi-fon?" Ukitake asked, turning toward her.

"I was not allowed to retreat, but I was imprisoned until about a year and a half ago. I was rescued, along with a few others by Karin Kurosaki. I recovered my bankai and I've been training ever since."

Shunsui Kyoraku nodded his head at her statement. "That is, more or less the same thing that happened to Nanao, Shuhei, Jushiro and myself."

Byakuya wondered why he wasn't included in that statement, but shrugged it off.

Ukitake looked at Toshiro next, "Hitsugaya-kun?"

Toshiro sighed slightly at the informal use of his name, but shrugged it off. Old habits were hard to break, apparently.

"I took who I could find and retreated to the world of the living. While there, I recovered my bankai, and trained hard with the shinigami. We had allies in the living world who helped tremendously. Karin Kurosaki showed interest in becoming a shinigami and helping with our cause. Since we were low in numbers, we looked into ways to help her become a soul reaper. With permission from her father, the former tenth captain, Isshin Shiba, and the expertise of Uruhara and Yoruichi, we pulled her soul from her body and she was able to manifest in a soul reaper form at the age of 17. She has been an asset to us since."

He finished his statement by staring at Karin and nodding at her. Karin blushed. It felt weird to hear them talking to her like that, like she was some kind of hero.

She felt eyes turning in her direction. She kept her eyes focused straight ahead, picking at the sleeve of her kimono, trying not to look anyone straight in the eye. From the corner of his own eyes, Byakuya saw how shy she was. Usually she was quite confident, but her bashfulness was endearing.

Ukitake looked at Byakuya next. He looked sad, like he didn't want to have to ask him the question. Byakuya put his hand up. He stood up gracefully and looked around the room. With his head held high, and his arms folded, he recounted his experience.

"I fought the Sternritter named As Nodt in the onslaught. I'm afraid he stole my bankai and turned it against me. I remember a tremendous amount of pain, and I believe that I was dying."

"When I awoke, unfortunately, I wasn't passed from this world. I had been healed, and I was in a prison cell. For seven years, I was interrogated. The Quincy showed no mercy toward me because of my status. Two days before my scheduled public execution, I was rescued by Karin Kurosaki. Since then, I was in the world of the living for four months, and I have been here for another four."

"I can tell you that the conditions are quite bad in the districts. I have no idea what they were before though, so I can't compare. The morale was extremely low, sufficient provisions are needed, and unless we have a way to rally enough Rukongai souls to our cause, I'm afraid we may have already lost."

Byakuya then sat down next to Karin.

Karin was shocked at his statement, especially about the execution part. Why hadn't he told her that before?

Jushiro looked at Byakuya, nodding at him. "Thorough, as always, Byakuya-san."

Karin leaned over, and whispered to Byakuya, "You never told me you were going to be executed."

He looked at her and shrugged. "I had given up all hope until you came for me. The execution would have been a welcome relief."

Karin looked at him with worried eyes and sighed. Byakuya seemed to have moved past most of the damage that was done to him, at least physically, but it was obvious that he was still suffering emotionally and psychologically.

She pried her eyes off of him, and instead, looked toward Shunsui Kyoraku, who was beginning to debrief everyone else.

"Alright, listen up. I want everyone on board with this plan. If you don't think you can follow through, then don't. Come up to me after. We can have you doing some thing else."

He looked around and, then pulled down from the ceiling what looked like an old fashioned movie screen. And in front of it, on the table, was a type of projector. Karin didn't even notice until now, but she remembered seeing one in Uruhara's shop before.

"Here are the things that we know." On the screen appeared the picture of a young woman with dark hair that was braided together down her front.

"Captain Unohana and the rest of squad 4 are holed up in their same squadron. They are protected by many guards. A sternritter is always on duty. As most of you know, Retsu and her squad were kept alive because they are highly skilled healers and kido users. They are used by the Vandenreich to heal their soldiers. They are also allowed, twice a month to go into the districts closest to Seireitei to help with healing. Her appearance in these districts is used to maintain some order amongst the more rebellious citizens and as an incentive for Retsu to behave herself."

Kyoraku looked around and then continued with the next statement, surprising half of the crowd in the sitting room. "Captain Unohana is a great asset. Not only is she our best healer, but she is also one of our greatest fighters. Not many are aware of this, but Retsu Unohaha was the first person to hold the title of Kenpachi."

Looks of surprise were on the faces of a few members of the room. Karin was surprised. She didn't look as near as scary as Zaraki. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at Zaraki and saw that he didn't look surprised at all, merely bored.

"Juha Bach is well aware of this information. Instead of having her killed though, with the captain-commander, he had her zanpakto taken from her and has threatened her subordinates if she puts a toe out of line."

He then cleared his throat. "The first part of this plan, will require getting Captain Unohana back on our side, somehow. She and her squad have the most intelligence on Seireitei, the Vandenreich and the most numbers. They are healers, so they will be quite useful to have on our side in a fight."

"The second point of this plan that I would like to discuss: Rumors from district leaders have come to the ears of Kukaku Shiba, her brother and gatekeepers. The morale in the districts is low, but rumors have been running wild about a pair of shinigami that have helped. Just small things, for the most part: Staying with the kids in some districts, providing them with large meals; buying goods from a variety of vendors, including large amounts of food for only two people; and just in general the appearance of two young people, wandering."

Kyoraku paused, like he was thinking about how to say his next statement, "Another couple of rumors, have been a bit more serious: Several witnesses claimed to have seen a young man and woman help a young woman survive giving birth and witnessed the woman using kido. The two shinigami then told the crowd that they were going to retake Soul Society. The woman then encouraged them to overthrow the Quincy themselves; and, second, an eyewitness account of the same young man and woman entering a large weapons warehouse here in district one, and after only 15 minutes, this eyewitness saw an explosion and the same young man and woman who had entered the building before, escaping from the blast ." He turned to look at Byakuya and Karin, who were trying to look nonchalant, like they didn't know what he was talking about.

However, Karin and Byakuya weren't the best actors.

"You didn't include any of that in your briefing, Kuchiki-sama." Ukitake said, almost with a sly grin on his face. Byakuya just raised his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders.

"It was of no consequence."

"Are you serious?" Shinji interrupted. He then looked around, "I mean. I knew about the explosion, you told me that already. But, helping a woman give birth? Using kido in front of a crowd? Inciting them to rebel?" He looked in astonishment at Byakuya.

Byakuya, who noticed that everyone was looking at him, decided to tell the truth.

He pointed to Karin, "That," he drawled, "was all her."

Karin turned around and stared fully at Byakuya, with an outraged look on her face.

"Way to throw me under the bus!"

"What does that mean?" He asked quietly, curious about the phrase, even though she was upset with him. It was obviously from the world of the living.

"It means," Isshin said, leaning around Karin to look at Byakuya, amused, "that you left her to get in trouble all by herself."

"Yeah, you were right there with me!" Karin said, glaring at Byakuya.

"You were the one who insisted on stopping to help. I would have been fine with continuing on."

"Well, I'm not the one that slipped them some cash and a little food when we were leaving."

"Maybe not, but at least I didn't use kido in front of a large crowd."

"No, but you backed me up when I told them that I was a soul reaper."

Byakuya scoffed at her answer, and then noticed that the rest of the room was watching their argument. He felt his cheeks redden a little at the attention their argument was getting.

Yoruichi had a smirk on her face, Uruhara had a fan over his face hiding amusement, and Kyoraku and Ukitake had knowing looks on their faces.

It was then that Orihime interrupted in her sweet voice, "Uh. Why is it a big deal if Karin-chan helped a woman give birth?"

Silence filled the room.

It was then that Yoruichi answered the question. "Because no woman or child, usually, outside of district 10 will survive the process. A pregnancy is rare here. Only the nobility and shinigami have enough reiatsu to conceive and bear children. And it is highly dangerous, even for nobles. The fact that a young woman, along with her child, were able to survive a birth in Hanging Dog, of all places, makes an impression on people."

"That's right. Karin-chan made it seem like the shinigami can save lives. That it was their duty to help the people in the districts. We've always been there to protect Rukongai, but, we've lost sight of what it means to protect. We also need to help. Karin made them see that." Kyoraku said.

He then looked Karin full in the eye.

"They're curious about you. Your name has gotten out. They call you their leader, their savior."

Karin shook her head slowly. "I didn't mean to do that. I just wanted to help."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of Karin. You are an unselfish woman who wants to help others. You're exactly the person that the districts need right now."

Karin looked over at her father almost unconsciously for help. Isshin put up his hand. He was protective of his daughters still, even though she was a grown woman and a soul reaper.

"What are you trying to say, Shunsui?"

Kyoraku looked between Isshin and Karin.

"The second thing that we need, besides getting Retsu Unohana out of the custody of the Quincy, is for Karin to meet with some district leaders. There are too many to get them all there, but we have thirty so far that want to meet with her."

Karin's mind was racing. She was no super hero. Seriously, she made so many mistakes. She didn't know what she could say to those leaders that could make them want to join their cause. She would probably mess up horribly.

Kyoraku asked Karin directly, "You don't have to do anything that you're uncomfortable with, Karin, but if you could just meet with them..."

Karin looked up. She had asked to help. And apparently, this is what they needed her help with. She hadn't really expected anything like this though.

She nodded her head at Kyoraku and said, "I'll do it." He nodded in reply.

"Our last order of business today," he said, changing the subject, "is about the devices that the Sternritter have that steal bankai. Uruhara-san, has come up with a countermeasure that will work to protect your bankai, and render them useless. If you could, explain, please."

Uruhara almost danced his way until the central part of the room. Bouncing on his toes, he then explained that the Quincy bankai stealing device worked by finding the concentrated surge of spiritual pressure that comes from the release of the bankai. It was magnet to the energy and pulled it in. This could be countered, by those that can release their bankai, by wearing what looked like watches. Of course, this was said in a lot more complicated words, asides and gestures.

As Uruhara passed one to Byakuya, who looked at it curiously, Karin looked over his shoulder. Noticing this, he lifted it up to show it to her. It was gray and dark, with a small round circle on it, just like a clock, but missing the the actual clock face. The circumference of the circle was glowing red.

"Well," Karin said, looking at it with a look of disgust on her face, "I'm glad that I don't have bankai so I don't have to wear that ugly thing."

"Karin-chan, you hurt me!" Uruhara whined with a hand on his heart.

Karin rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Kyoraku. He looked around the room and clapped his hands together.

"Alright! Meet back here tomorrow afternoon. We'll go over the rest of our plans. Karin will go into District 3 tomorrow morning to meet with the district leaders. Keep a hold on your reiatsu. You're dismissed."

Loud talking began again, as people stood up and shuffled out of the room to do whatever they wanted. Kyoraku was reminding Zaraki and the rest of his group to not go picking any fights. Yachiru was licking a lollipop while sitting on her captain's shoulder.

Isshin turned to Karin, and put his arm around her shoulder. He pulled her close to him, and used his knuckles to give her a noogie. She proceeded to throw him across the room. He stood up, started laughing, waved, and left.

Besides the interruption from her father, Karin really hadn't shown any signs of moving. She was in her own little world. She was thinking about the meeting.

Getting Retsu Unohana out of the Quincy custody was important, more important, she felt than her meeting with district leaders.

And why did these leaders want to meet her? Wouldn't they have preferred to meet with Kyoraku the acting captain-commander or Toshiro, the boy genius, or even Byakuya, who was a well-known noble figure?

Then again, if they saw Byakuya, they would be tempted by the large sum on his head to turn him in.

Maybe it did make sense for her to meet with them, but only as a liaison. She wasn't anyone special. She only did things to help. Why was that so weird?

She didn't have amazing powers, she couldn't even train for bankai.

She had been injured more times than she wanted just in the past four months of living in Soul Society.

She wasn't special.

She felt her confidence deflating.

And then one last, random and irrational thought criticized her.

"You're not pretty enough or charismatic enough to lead them."

Even if she didn't have the powers and abilities that she may have wanted by this point, she should at least be charismatic enough to get them to fight.

She had to persuade them; to convince them.

And then, being an emotional woman, her thoughts turned to Byakuya with the thought of her not being pretty enough.

It was a stupid thought, of course, completely irrational. But, sometimes a woman needed a little bit of reassurance from someone she wasn't related to. She was now 90% sure she was in love with the man still sitting by her, but he had never given any indication that he returned her feelings.

Or at least, she didn't think that he did. Maybe she was just as obtuse as her brother.

Did he think she was attractive? She had never really cared before, but with him, it was different. She wanted him to find her pretty, even beautiful.

She sighed, twirling the hair of her ponytail unconsciously. It was a horrible habit that she wasn't aware of most of the time, but always came out when her confidence waned.

She felt eyes on her. She turned to see Byakuya staring at her with an intense gaze. She immediately felt her face heating up.

Why was he looking at her like that?

Was there something in her teeth?

Or on her face?

Was there something wrong with her hair?

She felt the little self-confidence that she had left disappear, and she ducked her head down, not sure of what to say or do next.

"What are you thinking about?" Byakuya asked quietly.

Karin just shrugged her shoulders, trying to appear nonchalant.

The best defense in the situation was denial, obviously.

"Hm.." Byakuya answered thoughtfully. He had noticed, watching her that she had the look on her face. He eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, her eyes looking forward, looking at something that nobody else could see. There was a pout on her soft lips, and he noticed that she started twirling her hair as well. A habit, that although he knew she hated, he found, of all things, cute. It was obvious that she was thinking long and hard about something. And, he felt, probably over-thinking things as well.

"You're the right person to do it." He said forwardly. She looked up at him curiously.

"To do what?"

"To talk to the district leaders."

Karin shook her head. "I don't know what to say. I don't have that kind of experience. I don't have anything to offer them. I'm not even fully trained yet."

"You do not see yourself as others do." He answered simply, never breaking his gaze.

She finally looked back at him boldly. It seemed like they were staring at each other for a long time, neither of them saying anything. He was a man of little words but for the first time, it was as if he was saying what she needed to know with those eyes of his.

They were their usual gray, with a soft and gentle look in them. A tender, loving gaze, was what she thought it looked like.

It was too much, really. She was reading too much into things again. She finally broke the heated gaze.

Byakuya cleared his throat, and said, "Would you like for me to accompany you tomorrow?"

Karin's eyes narrowed. As much as she wanted him to come with her, she couldn't risk him being taken prisoner. Who knows what they would do to him again.

She shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea..." He frowned slightly at her reply. She saw his frown and quickly tried to rectify her mistake. She put her hands up awkwardly in front of him.

"No! It's not that I don't want you to come, but with the reward on your head and desperate people in the districts..."

"Ah. I see. I will accompany you. I'll keep myself hidden." He insisted confidently. He then stood up, and held his hand out to her, like he usually did. She took it and allowed him to pull her up. They walked out of the room, never touching after that, but always close together.

* * *

Actually unknown this time to Byakuya and Karin, there were several shinigami who were in a hidden room that was adjacent to the sitting room where the previous meeting had taken place.

A silence fell over the medium-sized crowd gathered there as they watched the pair of comrades leave the room.

"Friends my ass," Ichigo whispered to the group.

Renji whispered, "Is it me or was the captain about to kiss her?"

Yoruichi sighed and nodded in agreement at Renji's statement. "I'm afraid that Karin has no idea what she is doing. I almost feel bad for Byakuya."

"My poor Karin." Isshin said, with fake tears in his eyes, "She is being seduced by that man!"

"Shut up, old man!" Ichigo replied, hitting him on the head with his fist. "Like hell I'll let Byakuya seduce her."

At this comment, Rukia, in turned kicked Ichigo in the groin. Ichigo fell to the ground in a heap, whining.

"FOOL! You leave them be. Can't you tell how happy brother is when he's around her? And Karin seems more at peace than I've ever seen."

"How can you tell anything from that impassive face of his?" Renji asked, curiously.

"My little girl is growing up," Isshin said, pretending to cry once again in happiness. "Soon, she'll be married and I'll have lots of grand babies."

There was an awkward silence at that statement.

"They both have to survive the battle first," Ichigo said, gingerly trying to get to his feet and glaring at Rukia.

A somber silence fell over the crowd. Finding romance and young love in a time of war was a sign of hope, but the truth of the matter was that love may not live long enough to flourish.

With sighs, and the shaking of many heads, they all exited the room, and went about their day.

* * *

The next day dawned bright and early. Karin awoke early, and without thinking, began walking around the house.

What in the world was she going to do about Byakuya?

Should she tell him her feelings?

Or should she just wait until after the war?

Would it be fair to him if she died after she already confessed that she loved him?

Or, should she let the old-fashioned nobleman take charge? She wasn't sure about that one... it might take forever.

She didn't realize where she was when she ran right into the man she had been musing about. His hair, which was slightly longer than his ears now, looked disheveled and wet. He had a small towel over his shoulder, and looked surprised to see her.

It looked as though he had come from bathing, with his kimono slightly unkempt, with it open, and showing his chest a little more than usual. He had a slight amount of his facial hair dotting his chin.

Silence filled the hall. Karin was trying to avoid openly staring at the state that Byakuya was in, but she really couldn't help it. He was sexy as hell. Her eyes went to his toned chest, and then up to his face. He had a slight blush to his cheeks as he noticed her staring

It was quite improper for her to see him this way, only half dressed and bathed. Even when they had traveled together, they both retained strict rules of propriety.

He had shown her his scar before, but that seemed like a long time ago, when they were only training together. Although he recognized that he was attracted to her back then, things had changed wholly altogether since. It was like another lifetime.

He felt a surge of pride, however, when he noticed her eyes lingering on him. It appeared that she was just attracted to him as he was to her. Or at least she was at the moment. Her eyes snapped up to his when he coughed.

"I...I discovered a bath, but I was, ah, interrupted." The door that he had come through, was slightly open. Staring at the two of them was a completely naked Yoruichi, with a big smile on her face.

Yoruichi waved happily to the two of them.

"Come join me, Karin-chan!" She yelled, "Unless you're planning on going somewhere or _doing _something with Byakuya first." She emphasized the verb "doing" and smirked at the two of them.

Karin nodded toward Yoruichi, trying to ignore the innuendo.

She looked up at Byakuya, who she noticed was staring at her.

"I'll, um... see you at breakfast?" She said awkwardly, shuffling her feet.

He nodded, "Come to my room, and I'll go up with you."

Karin smiled in agreement, and then he stepped aside, letting her pass. She entered the small room with the hot spring, and then looked back over her shoulder.

He was staring openly at her. She closed the door behind the heated gaze. She then turned her back against the door and slid to the floor. She put her head in her hands.

"Oh. My. God." Karin said, breathing deeply, trying to regain control of her breathing. The intensity of that small encounter, that had really only lasted a couple of minutes at the most, left her with a longing that she had never experienced before.

"The sexual tension between the two of you is completely palpable." Yorucihi said conversationally from the hot spring.

"I...Oh my goodness. I bet he was completely offended! I just openly stared at him like he was a piece of meat." Karin said, horrified that she wasn't able to control her emotions and her stare.

Yoruichi shook her head. "I bet if anything, Byakuya was glad to see that you found him attractive. After all the cock-blocking you seem to be doing to the poor guy."

"What do you mean? I haven't been doing that, have I?" Karin asked, slowly getting up from her spot on the floor. She began undressing when she decided that a hot soak would do her some good.

"Well, he almost kissed you yesterday in the sitting room, but you killed the moment."

Karin slid into the water, with her mouth gaping open.

"What? How did you? No he wasn't!" Karin said, spluttering at what Yoruichi said.

Yoruichi only laughed and shook her head. "Even Renji thought he was about to kiss you, Karin. And we know how oblivious that one can be."

Karin still stared in shock at Yoruichi. They were going to have to watch themselves, it seemed like there were several people who enjoyed spying on the two of them.

She shook her head. "But, I want him to kiss me." Karin said, "I thought I've been obvious."

It was Yoruichi's turn to sigh in exasperation.

"It's alright Karin. You're inexperienced. Byakuya will help you with that though."

Karin felt her face turn bright red at the thought of Byakuya "helping" her get some "experience". She sunk into the hot water further, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Yoruichi roared in laughter. "You Kurosakis are all so innocent!"

Karin looked at Yoruichi worriedly as she remembered something else. "That's right. He was married. He's been with a woman before. He might have...expectations."

"Stop right there Karin. Byakuya was married before, but it's been over 60 years since she died. And he's a prude. I know he hasn't been intimate physically or emotionally since her death. I'm sure of that."

Karin still looked awkwardly at Yoruichi. "I don't know what to do," she sighed, as she looked at her mentor.

"To be honest, there isn't much to do right now, with this battle looming over us. I have a feeling that's why both of you haven't made your intentions known openly yet. But then again, it might do the both of you some good to let out some of that tension before the battle. Maybe you should seduce him."

Karin looked horrified at the suggestion. Yoruichi, once again began laughing at Karin's expense.

"Let me tell you some of the ways that you can seduce him, Karin. That way, when you decide the time is right, you'll know what to do. He won't be able to resist."

Yoruichi then began telling her stories of her "conquests", that Karin, frankly didn't even want to know about.

An awkward twenty minutes later, she left the hot spring room, with her face red from embarrassment and the heat.

She went to her room, and dressed in another kimono, and instead of putting her hair up in a bun or ponytail like usual, she decided to leave it down. She justified it by saying she wasn't only trying to impress Byakuya, but was trying to make a good impression on the district leaders as well.

She figured that Shunsui would have a nicer kimono and obi for the meeting later in the morning. She wandered over to Byakuya's room, and after a deep sigh, knocked. The door slid open to show Byakuya, well put together and clean-shaven like usual.

He looked questioningly at her hair, reaching his fingers to gingerly touch a strand that was falling across her face. She was trying to blow it out of the way. He tucked it behind her ear.

She absentmindedly fingered another strand in the front. "It dries easier this way," she croaked as her answer.

He nodded in reply, stepped out of his room, and led the way up to the kitchen and breakfast.

* * *

The remainder of the morning, Rukia, Orihime and Rangiku whisked Karin away from the rest of the company to get her ready for her meeting with the district leaders. They wanted her to make an impression.

According to the older women, in this old-fashioned society, in order to get the men to really listen to her, she would need to hold some appeal: Sex appeal.

And since almost everyone agreed that Karin's sex appeal was non-existent to everyone except Byakuya, they needed to "doll" her up.

Orihime had brought her makeup and some hair supplies from the living world. They worked on her hair first, deciding that leaving it down was more innocent looking. If they put it all the way up, she might look to intimidating, so they decided to leave it half up and half down.

At this point Karin was ready to pull out all her damn hair in the first place.

The makeup went on next, with the women all arguing about what colors to brush on her eyes.

She told them, "It had better not be too obvious. A natural look, please. No pink or anything bright, got it?" The rest of the women looked at each other and nodded in agreement at her statement.

Next, Kukaku Shiba brought in a light blue, silk kimono with bright pink flowers dotted on the fabric. With it was a green obi that matched the slightest green dotted on the kimono.

Karin, who had never seen anything quite so feminine and delicate, asked, "Why do I have to wear that?"

"It is technically a formal meeting with the leaders. You want to look your best so not to offend them by dressing or acting too casually." Rukia explained to her.

"Besides," Kukaku said, "This belonged to Hana Shiba. The coloring will look good on you."

Karin just appeared disgruntled. They took off her other clothes, which made her upset. She didn't need any help getting dressed.

"Stop! You guys... I know how to put clothes on myself, thank you."

Rukia and Rangiku exchanged glances, before Rangiku said, "Well, you'll have to get used to people helping you get dressed sometime."

Karin looked over at her curiously, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Giggles erupted from Orihime, Rangiku, and Rukia. Kukaku gave a grudging smile.

"All nobility need help getting ready for formal events, at least, that's what they say." Kukaku said, with a shrug. "I don't see the big deal either, but others might insist."

More giggles were heard.

"You're all delusional. It's not like I'm really considered nobility." She said to them with a frown on her face, and lifted her arms to let them put her kimono on.

"Not yet you aren't," Rangiku whispered quietly to Rukia.

Rangiku then stepped forward. She looked was looking at Karin's chest.

She pointed to Karin's chest, which was bound like usual. "Are those usually that tight?"

Karin self-consciously moved her arms over her breasts.

"Maybe.." she muttered.

"Well, let's take them off."

Karin completely put her foot down at that statement.

"No!"

They argued until Rukia suggested that they leave the bindings on about three-quarters the way up her breasts, just enough for the tops of her breasts to be pushed up against the kimono.

Orihime then promised to bring Karin a couple of bras from the world of the living, so that way she didn't have to bind herself all the time.

They put the kimono on her, and then tightened the obi.

Then the women all looked around at each other, giving themselves pleased looks.

By this time, Karin felt like she was about to kill someone, since she was not used to being so dolled up all the time.

They led her to the front entryway, right inside the house. Byakuya was waiting for her, and she was surprised to see him wearing all black.

It was a shihakusho, the uniform of shinigami. He was certainly making a statement wearing it.

He looked over at Karin as she was ushered into the room, and gave a stony glare to the women that followed behind her. Rukia saw the glare, and managed to push Rangiku and Orihime back out of the room, leaving the two of them in silence.

Byakuya trained his eyes to only look at her face. He opened the door and motioned for her to go out first. Outside was an old-fashioned carriage.

"I didn't realize we were hitching a ride to District 3." Karin stated, and then felt stupid.

Of course they wouldn't let her shunpo all the way to the district, looking the way that she did now.

"It is too long for us to walk, and we'd stick out too badly." He walked her to the carriage, and gave her his hand as he helped her up into the carriage. She sat on one side and he sat across from her. As he sat across from her, he allowed himself to openly look at her for the first time.

He had noticed already that her hair was curled slightly now at the ends, which he figured was because of how long it was getting. Her eyelashes were dark and luminous as usual. Her cheeks were highlighted and her gray eyes shined brighter than normal.

As for the rest of her, he really had a hard time processing what he was seeing. The tops of Karin's breasts teasingly strained against her kimono. And the obi highlighted her small waist to the flare of her wider hips. It was the first time he had seen her in a full-length kimono, and it made her look even more alluring than he had believed she could look.

Karin noticed Byakuya gazing at her.

She raised her eyebrows back at him when he noticed her staring right back at him.

He sighed, and then asked, "Why are you dressed like that?"

Karin was surprised. She was hoping for some reaction from him, but not that exactly.

Did he disapprove of how she looked?

"Your sister, my sister-in-law, Rangiku and Kukaku told me that I needed to look this way to make an impression on the leaders I was meeting. Kukaku told me that this kimono belonged to my grandmother Hana."

Byakuya nodded, with his eyes closed, hoping for enough silence so he could meditate to keep himself focused.

He heard a rustle of fabric, and felt the seat underneath him give way slightly. He then felt a gentle touch on his shoulder. He opened his eyes to see Karin sitting close to him. She looked concerned.

"What's wrong?" He locked his gaze with hers and just shrugged noncommittally.

Did she not realize that she would definitely be making an impression on the men she met with? It was a good thing she wasn't going to be alone.

She was still looking at him with a frown. She concluded that he didn't approve of what she was wearing. Was this too informal?

"It's what I'm wearing, isn't it?" She asked, fingering the fabric of the kimono.

"It's not good enough. I can't believe I already messed up before I even got there..."

Byakuya was trying his very best to suppress the smile that was trying to creep up on his features. She was so very innocent sometimes.

"It's a little too good." Byakuya said quietly, shifting his eyes to focus on the landscape outside.

Karin felt herself blushing. "Oh."

She tried thinking about different things as the carriage made it's way through the woods.

"Do you know what you're going to say?" Byakuya asked curiously, wanting to change the subject from her attractive costume, interrupting her silence.

Karin looked up at him and shook her head. "No. Not really. Any advice?"

"Follow your instincts."

Karin nodded in understanding at what he was saying. She looked at Byakuya, who was still not making eye contact with her since he announced her outfit was too good.

She didn't know what prompted her to do it, but she scooted a little bit closer to him, and put her head on his shoulder.

She felt his muscles tense, and then, slowly relax underneath her head.

She felt him reach for her hand and squeeze it gently, giving her confidence, and then released it.

And for the rest of the trip, they sat in silence, with their hands only centimeters from each other.

* * *

The carriage stopped and Karin reluctantly sat up as Byakuya's door opened to reveal Ganju, of all people. He winked at them. Byakuya pulled a hood over his hair and head, and exited first. He then held his hand out for Karin, who took it, and was helped out of the carriage.

District three wasn't in too bad of condition. Karin looked around, and noticed that there was a large crowd in one section, only about 20 yards away. She sincerely hoped that it wasn't for her. Ganju led them to a building to the left.

Karin breathed a sigh of relief, glad to see that they were heading far away from the large crowd of people. She entered the building and was led to a large room. Inside the room were wooden benches lined with many people. These men were nicely dressed, and, you could tell from their appearances were more well off than the average Rukongai citizen.

Karin swore that there were a lot more than thirty people there. Byakuya stood inside the doorway. He had told her already his main priority was to ensure her safety, and so, he just watched them from the door.

Ganju and Karin went to the front of the room.

There was absolute silence as the men in the room took in the sight of Karin in her formal kimono. Ganju sat down on one of the wooden benches. He nodded at Karin.

Karin swallowed some air and breathed in deeply. She faced the room.

Nobody had coached her, or told her what to do. So, once again, she just followed her instincts.

To the surprise of everyone else in the room, Karin knelt on the ground in her lovely silk kimono and gave them a very formal bow.

Voices broke out of the gesture of her bowing to all of the leaders gathered, conversing with each other, wondering exactly who this young woman was, to bow to them, of all people.

She stood up, and looked at the crowd.

"My name is Karin Kurosaki Shiba. I was asked to come here to speak with you. How may I help?"

"I think you have it wrong, Miss. We just wanted to meet you." One of the leaders said, shaking his head.

"You owe us nothing." Another man said.

"But, is there any way that I can help you?" She asked, confused.

Laughter rang out across the room.

"Did you really help that young woman survive child birth?"

"Um..yes, but it was no big deal, I promise." Karin said, putting her hands up in defense. It was really no big deal.

"You were killed by Juha Bach, personally, weren't you? And then you came here to help save us?" Another question rang out.

"What about all those prisoners, former shinigami that you saved? You didn't have to do any of that!"

"And that building that exploded just a week or so ago. Those weapons are all gone now! The Quincy don't have much left to threaten us with!"

Loud voices were talking excitedly. These men hadn't come to get help from Karin, she realized. They had come to see if she really existed or not.

Byakuya watched the scene impassively, waiting for Karin to respond. He looked over at Karin who looked confused and a little bit lost at the situation. She saw him looking. He nodded his head at her and gave her a small smile.

She breathed in deeply.

"Those things did happen," Karin said. She stood in the front of the room. "All I wanted to do is help. You make it seem like I'm a hero, but I make mistakes like everyone else. The thing is, even with all the mistakes that I make, I keep going. Just like so many people. I'm just like you. I'm no better or no worse."

"I promise you, that if you help us overthrow the Quincy, we'll do all we can to help you. The old Soul Society ignored you, only used you as an excuse for their strong armed power and defenses. It will not be the same Seireitei and Shinigami. Have hope and faith that we can change that, together."

She looked around the room at all the open, admiring looks she was getting from the men.

"If you can help us, please contact Kukaku Shiba. Thank you for your time." She then turned to leave. As she left the room, she heard movement from across the room. In front of her, all the district leaders present, knelt on the ground, bowing to her formally.

"Thank you, Karin-dono." They answered as one. Blinking back tears, she went to the door, and with Byakuya, left.

* * *

They left the large building, stepping out into the bright streets of District 3 outside. They made their way toward the carriage, when a large explosion was heard.

Byakuya tensed, moving to protect Karin as much as possible. His hand went to the side of his waist where Sebonzakura usually was, when he remembered that he didn't bring it.

Captain Kyoraku had suggested that Byakuya keep his zanpakto at the Shiba clan home in order to keep it from falling into the wrong hands, just in case something happened to Byakuya.

Rukongai citizens lay on the ground, injured from the explosion.

A couple of quincy soldiers nearby the wreckage of the area laughed. The leader stood by, staring scornfully at a group of bystanders, who stood silently and sadly looking at the citizens.

He told the Rukongai citizens, while staring at these quiet observers, "That's what you guys get, trying to side with the extinct Shinigami. We're the only law around here now!"

Byakuya followed Karin's gaze to the crowd when he noticed the stature, appearance and demeanor of someone that he hadn't seen for a long time.

It only took him an instant to decide what to do.

He practically grabbed Karin by the elbow, and shunpoed with her toward the carriage as quickly as possible.

"What are you-?" Karin's protest was cut off as he threw her into the carriage, quite roughly, and said to Ganju, who sat atop to drive, "Take her back. Go the way of the explosion, I'll cause a distraction."

Ganju was about to protest, but saw the serious expression on Byakuya's face. He nodded once in understanding, and took off slowly and discreetly as possible down the road toward all the noise.

Byakuya shunpoed as quickly as he could over to all the ruckus. Up close, Byakuya recognized the group of silent observers as former members of Squad 4. They were beginning to go among the injured and dead, trying to tend to some injuries.

Although Byakuya didn't have his zanpakto, he had other abilities, including kido and hakuda. He raised his hands in a sweeping motion, and without any incantation, blasted one of the Quincy soldiers into a nearby building.

The rest of the Quincy looked up from their critical observation of the squad 4 healers and the wreckage they had laid on the district.

Byakuya looked over at them with his head held high, and an arrogant tilt to his head.

He said, with the most disdainful voice that he could muster, "You say that you're the only law around here. I'd like to challenge that statement."

The Quincy soldiers looked flabbergasted, completely taken aback at the appearance of a shinigami among them. The leader nodded his head at a small contingent of six soldiers and they took off, attacking Byakuya. He parried their moves and landed more blows than they landed on him. He was quicker too, disabling many of them with his Senka.

Within only a few seconds, the six Quincy that had attacked him lay on the ground. At this moment, all eyes were on Byakuya.

He sneered at the Quincy leader, saying, "Amateurs."

The Quincy leader looked flabbergasted for a few seconds and then said, "I know who you are. You're Kuchiki, aren't you? Byakuya Kuchiki. The former Shinigami captain, noble and prisoner of war with quite a large sum on your head." The Quincy leader looked around at the citizens of Rukongai who were staring at the scene.

"I will personally make sure that you will all get a portion of the reward money if you help me bring this man into custody."

And with that, chaos erupted. Nobles weren't liked too much in Rukongai as it was, and the fact that most citizens were poor and starving, even in a district that was more well off than most, the reward money was still too tempting.

Nobody noticed, as the citizens attacked over and over again, and with the help of several Quincy soldiers, subdued Byakuya, that a young woman with dark hair slipped into a parked carriage that took off almost immediately.

* * *

Byakuya surprised Karin when he threw her so forcefully in the carriage. She had blacked out for a few minutes, and then when she awoke was quite dizzy. She peeked out the carriage window to see Byakuya taking on what looked like all of District 3.

An intense desire to leave the carriage overtook her. She would show them, trying to take him on like that. And, it looked to her as though Byakuya was going easy on the citizens. He didn't hold himself back against the Quincy, but with the citizens he was softer than usual.

She went to open the carriage door, when she noticed that it was locked. And it was locked from the outside. She moved quickly to the other side, when all of a sudden, the door opened quickly and she was face to face with Retsu Unohana.

Captain Unohana sat down gently and then, looking sadly out the window, knocked on the ceiling of the carriage. Karin followed her gaze out the window and cried out as she saw Byakuya finally get knocked out by a Quincy. The carriage moved quickly down the road, returning to the Shiba clan home.

"No! Ganju! Turn back!" Karin yelled, "You can't do this!" She began pounding on the ceiling, doing her best to get him to turn around and go back.

"I'm sorry." Captain Unohana told Karin. Karin looked at Uhonaha with a wary look.

She connected the dots quickly, the carriage ride to district 3, Byakuya boldly dressed as a shinigami, Squad 4 in the same district on their day out of Seireitei, and the way that Byakuya caused a distraction...

"This was all a plan. That Byakuya would get taken, so that we could get you back."

"It looks like it. I was not aware of anything. It seems though that Captain Kyoraku has some good intelligence, if he knew where and when I was going be in District 3."

"He agreed to do it then?"

"Captain Kuchiki?" Captain Unohana asked, then said, "He was probably the only Shinigami that would have caught their attention easily. He's the most famous one, and he is a fugitive with a large reward."

Karin looked sadly out the window in silence for the rest of the trip. She didn't understand why it felt like this-why she felt as though a part of her was missing. And she kept thinking back to the morning and the trip in the carriage, that now seemed so long ago.

It was perfect timing then: Why didn't she tell him how she felt?

"They're going to execute him." Karin stated to nobody in particular.

"I doubt Captain Kuchiki would willing let himself be captured again unless he didn't know more of this plan. I'm sure that Captain Kyoraku and the others have something in mind." Captain Unohana responded, while looking at the young woman with something akin to pity.

Karin leaned back in her seat, and waited for the carriage to stop. Ganju opened the door for her, and gave her a hand to help her out. Karin couldn't help but think that only an hour ago, it was Byakuya that was helping her out of the carriage.

Karin walked into the Shiba clan home, followed by Captain Unohana and Ganju.

They were led to the room that they had met in earlier. Ganju slid the door open, and Karin and Captain Unohana entered first.

Kyoraku looked at Captain Unohana, and nodded. Everyone else was in awe as they looked at Captain Unohana as Karin just glared at Shunsui Kyoraku.

He returned her stare with a grim expression, when a feminine voice asked, "Where's brother?"

Rukia looked at Karin, but Karin was having a hard time not shedding her own tears. She didn't think she could look at Rukia, who appreciated Byakuya as much as Karin did. Hopefully Ginrei-sama wouldn't ask. She knew she couldn't be the bearer of bad news with him.

It was Isshin, who stood up, and led Karin from the middle of the room and led her to a cushion to sit on. He put an arm around her shoulder to give a quick squeeze and then sat to the side.

Karin, although feeling slightly numb from losing Byakuya, looked at Captain Kyoraku and met his stare.

"I met with some district leaders; we have Captain Unohana. What's the rest of the plan?

Captain Kyoraku nodded, at Karin's response, noticing that the young woman was not very happy with him. He then pointed to the small screen that was set up in the room.

"We're glad to see you, Captain Unohana," Captain Kyoraku said with a nod to the woman.

"Unfortunately, as many of you can see, Captain Kuchiki is no longer with us."

"Byakuya's dead?" Ichigo asked, surprised.

"No. Captured." Captain Ukitake responded. "They wouldn't just kill Byakuya in a street fight. They want a public execution for him. And that execution, will be tomorrow."

Exclamations filled the room as the Shinigami took in the news. Karin was thinking that she needed to do some prison break work tonight.

"We set this up." Kyoraku told a now silent group of rebels, "The only time that all the Sternritter and Juha Bach are present at the same place are public executions, especially executions of high nobles and Shinigami. We also have some intelligence that not only Byakuya will be executed tomorrow, but a couple of our allies as well."

He paused and then moved forward with his statement, "Sado Yasutora and Uryu Ishida were both captured shortly after they arrived in the Rukongai. We intend to release all three of them and anymore allies we may have. We plan on causing some chaos and ending this, for better or for worse tomorrow."

Karin thought about it as she sat looking at the diagrams of the execution area, the different divisions in Seireitei, and the plan in general. And she felt conflicted. It was a good plan, but right then and there, she decided that getting Byakuya safely out of Quincy custody was her first priority.

To be continued...

* * *

Dun Dun Dun

Sorry that I haven't updated sooner. Life happens. Mainly finding out that I'm pregnant with baby #3 while my other two children are running wild happens. I have no idea how much longer this sucker is going to be, and this chapter was by far the hardest one to write! Ah! I wrote the first 7000 words just fine and then I hit a wall. Ugh... Hopefully next one is easier. We're coming on the final battle in the next chapter or two and one or two part epilogue after (so about 2-4 more chapters...depends on how many loose ends I want to wrap up).


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